BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 

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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


L  V^le,r\ir\  r\^  ^     9> o  fo  K  y  "3 


BIOGRAPHY 

OF 

ANN  HOWELL 
BURT 


BRIGHAM  CITY,  UTAH 

19  16 


BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


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o 

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LU 

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ANN  H.  BURT 
Taken  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  John  D.  Burt. 


ANN  H.  BURT  AND  GRANDCHILDREN  IN  1891. 

The  children,  reading  from  left  to  right,  are  Esdras  Jones, 
David  Rosenbaum  and  Moses  Rosenbaum. 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/biographyofannhoOOvalerich 


BIOGRAPHY  OF 

ANN  HOWELL  BURT 

By  Sophy  Valentine. 


L 

Many  years  ago,  when  the  gospel  was  first  introduced  to 
the  world,  there  lived  in  far  off  beautiful  Wales,  at  a  place 
called  Aberdare,  Glamorganshire,  a  well-to-do  family  by  the 
name  of  Howell.  Mr.  Howell  kept  a  dry  goods  store,  and  he 
was  also  a  preacher  in  the  Baptist  church.  They  had  several 
children — five  or  six  boys,  and  a  girl  named  Ann. 

This  little  girl  was  a  pretty,  vivacious  little  thing,  full  of 
life,  and  quite  impressed  with  the  fact  that  she  was  Mr. 
Howell's  daughter,  as  children  brought  up  in  comparative 
luxury  are  apt  to  feel. 

When  she  was  ten  years  old  Ann  was  sent  to  a  boarding 
school  at  Swansea  to  be  initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  all  that 
a  well  brought  up  young  lady  should  know.  But  the  methods 
employed  were  rather  severe  and  Ann  did  not  fancy  the  idea 
of  being  straight-jacketed  and  dieted  in  order  to  become  deli- 
cate and  refined  looking;  besides,  it  affected  her  health  very 
much,  and  being  of  an  independent  spirit  she  objected.  Her 
father  had  to  be  sent  for  and  Ann  joyfully  returned  with  him 
to  her  home  and  her  loving  mother. 

One  day,  while  she  and  her  brother  were  roaming  in  the 
field,  they  attempted  to  cross  a  stream  on  a  plank  some  work- 
men had  left.  There  was  a  bridge  a  little  higher  up  stream, 
which  would  have  been  a  great  deal  more  convenient,  but,  on 
the  lookout,  as  children  generally  are,  for  something  whereby 
they  might  get  hurt,  they  spied  this  place  with  delight  and 
attempted  to  walk  across  it,  wiggling  and  giggling  so  as  to 
make  it  all  the  more  exciting,  and  of  course  they  both  fell  in ; 
first  the  boy  and  next  Ann,  who  very  heroically  tried  to  save 
her  brother. 


8  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Some  workmen  had  been  watching  the  performance  at  a 
distance  and  came  to  the  children's  rescue,  but  when  they 
had  been  fished  out  they  were  apparently  dead  and  their 
parents  were  sent  for  and  informed  that  their  children  had 
been  drowned.  You  can  imagine  their  grief,  but  everybody 
turned  in  and  worked  with  the  children  till  they  were  finally 
brought  to  life. 

This  incident  had  the  effect  of  sobering  the  little  wilful 
girl.  Being  brought  so  near  to  death  frightened  her  and  she 
began  to  think  more  seriously. 

One  day  she  was  sitting  with  her  mama  sewing  (for  little 
girls  in  those  days  were  made  to  sew  by  hand  very  beautifully, 
and  knit  and  crochet  and  do  fancy  work,  hours  at  the  time, 
and  did  not  have  so  very  much  time  to  play)  ;  well,  as  I  said,  as 
she  was  busy  with  some  needlework,  there  came  to  their  house 
some  strange  men  from  America.  One  of  them  was  the  late 
apostle  John  Taylor. 

Ann  wondered  considerable  at  these  men,  for  they  were 
not  like  the  ordinary  business  men  who  used  to  come  and 
visit  her  father,  and  of  whom  she  took  little  notice.  These 
men  were  so  different.  They  talked  about  God,  about  a  new 
prophet  like  unto  those  that  used  to  live  in  olden  days,  that 
Ann  had  often  read  and  heard  about.  And  they  spoke  about 
the  gospel  of  peace,  which  had  again  been  brought  to  earth, 
and  Ann  listened  and  wondered.  And  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howell 
listened  and  wondered,  too,  and  their  hearts  were  touched. 
They  were  religious  people  and  wanted  to  serve  the  Lord ;  but 
this  was  new  and  strange  to  them,  and  they  realized  how 
they  must,  indeed,  take  up  their  cross  if  they  would  follow 
the  Master;  for  in  those  days  it  was  even  more  difficult  for 
people  in  better  circumstances  to  embrace  the  truth  than  at 
this  day,  when  the  way  has  been  made  somewhat  smoother  by 
those  who  have  traversed  it. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howell  took  up  the  cross  and  the  little  girl 
stood  by  and  looked  on,  but  soon  she  was  made  to  feel  that  she 
too  must  take  up  the  cross,  if  she  would  follow,  for  persecu- 
tions began  at  once,  and  the  once  happy,  peaceful  home,  was 
now  no  longer  the  same. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  9 

They  had  been  so  happy  in  their  ease  and  enjoyment  of 
this  world's  good  things,  slumbering  securely,  as  it  were, 
without  any  serious  thought  of  what  God  really  intended  this 
life  should  be  to  His  children.  But  now  it  was  all  so  different. 
They  began  to  understand  that  we  were  sent  here  to  work  out 
our  salvation  and  they  soon  found  that  those  who  would  live 
godly  in  Christ  must  suffer  persecution, — and  it  began  at  once. 

Ann  Howell  was  no  longer  the  well-to-do  merchant's 
daughter ;  she  was  only  a  "Mormon"  girl,  one  of  those  despised, 
misled  and  foolish  people,  at  whom  all  the  world  was  pointing 
the  finger  of  scorn. 

One  day.  Brother  John  Taylor  took  her  aside  with  her 
parents  and  gave  her  a  wonderful  blessing,  and  though  she  is 
now  a  vigorous  old  lady  of  some  seventy  years,  the  memory  of 
that  blessing  is  still  with  her  and  has  been  a  comfort  to  her 
many  times  on  life's  stormy  sea. 

Ann  was  baptized  when  she  was  twelve  years  old,  and 
soon  after  her  father  was  called  to  go  on  a  mission  to  France. 
He  was  the  first  "Mormon"  missionary  to  go  to  that  country. 

After  opening  the  Gospel  there,  he  returned  to  visit  his 
family  in  Wales  and  decided  to  take  his  little  daughter  back  to 
France  with  him,  as  she  was  apt,  and  he  thought  after  learning 
the  French  language,  she  might  be  a  great  help  to  him. 

It  was  no  small  trial  for  Ann  to  leave  her  dear  mother  and 
brothers  and  her  grandfather,  who  was  a  wealthy  old  gentle- 
man and  lived  at  Cardiff ;  but  since  they  embraced  the  gospel, 
the  grandfather  had  turned  with  their  other  friends  and  was 
no  longer  what  he  used  to  be. 

Before  she  left,  little  Ann  was  requested  to  go  on  the 
stand,  one  Sunday  at  meeting  and  sing  "Home,  Sweet  Home." 
She  sang  it  in  her  sweet  childish  voice,  made  tremulous  at 
the  thought  of  soon  having  to  leave  her  home.  Brother  Taylor 
was  so  delighted  with  her  singing,  that  he  had  the  song 
printed  on  pink  silk  and  gave  it  to  her  as  a  keep-sake. 

Life,  for  a  "Mormon"  girl,  young  as  she  was,  among 
strangers,  in  a  strange  city,  was  not  all  pleasure.  They  were 
of  course  persecuted  there  as  they  had  been  in  their  home  and 
the  language  was  quite  an  obstacle  to  be  surmounted;  how- 
ever, Ann  soon  learned  to  speak  French  fairly  well,  and  she 


10  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

helped  distribute  tracts  from  house  to  house.  After  three 
days  or  more,  they  would  generally  call  for  the  tracts  and  if 
the  people  had  read  them,  Ann  would  give  them  some  more 
and  invite  them  to  their  meetings. 

Many  times  the  little  girl  was  driven  away  with  threats 
and  she  had  to  run  as  fast  as  she  could  to  escape  trouble. 

They  were  located  at  a  place  called  St.  Mallow.  It  was 
among  the  poor,  where  the  Saints  have  generally  had  to  locate. 
The  feeling  of  opposition  was  strong  against  them  and  at  one 
time  had  it  not  been  for  the  intervention  of  friends,  Brother 
Howell  would  have  been  thrown  into  a  pond  of  water. 

Brother  Howell  decided  that  it  was  best  to  leave  the  place 
and  they  immediately  embarked  for  St.  Servin  to  begin  work 
there. 

At  their  arrival,  it  being  late  in  the  day,  they  were  unable 
to  find  lodgings  and  were  obliged  to  spend  the  night  in  the 
suburbs  of  the  city,  outdoors  and  without  shelter. 

11. 

After  finding  lodgings  and  beginning  work  again,  Brother 
Howell  and  his  daughter  soon  found  that  persecution  followed 
them  wherever  they  went,  and  it  was  not  long  until  mob 
violence  forced  them  out  in  the  grove  where  they  had  spent 
their  first  night  at  St.  Servin.  The  mob  followed  them,  how- 
ever, but  Brother  Howell  succeeded  in  eluding  them  until 
towards  morning,  when  he  left  his  little  daughter  in  the  grove 
while  he  went  into  the  city  to  ascertain  how  matters  stood 
at  their  lodgings.  He  told  Ann  to  stay  where  she  was  and 
he  would  soon  return  with  some  breakfast.  But  soon  after 
his  departure  some  of  the  mob  returned  and  finding  the  girl 
alone,  took  her  with  them.  Ann  had  no  idea  what  they  were 
going  to  do  with  her,  and  was  of  course  badly  frightened. 
She  wept  at  the  thought  of  her  father's  disappointment  when 
he  should  come  back  and  find  her  gone.  Near  the  entrance 
to  the  grove,  they  met  a  kindly-disposed  woman,  who  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  the  mob  to  let  her  take  the  little  girl  in 
charge.  The  men  were  probably  not  sorry  to  get  rid  of  the 
girl,  since  she  would  not  and  could  not  tell  anything  about 
her  father,  and  he  was  the  one  they  wanted. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  11 

The  kind  lady,  who  lived  near  the  entrance  to  the  grove, 
took  Ann  to  her  home  and  gave  her  something  to  eat,  for  the 
child  was  nearly  famished  and  worn  out  with  fatigue  and 
excitement. 

Ann  kept  a  sharp  look  out  from  the  window  for  her  father, 
and  when  she  saw  the  bottle  green  penwiper  coat,  the  tall 
hat  and  her  kind  father's  anxious  face  beneath  it,  she  ran  as 
fast  as  she  could  to  get  to  him.  She  overtook  him  as  he 
reached  the  place  where  he  had  left  her,  and  where  he  stood 
much  distressed  at  not  finding  her.  Their  joy  at  finding  each 
other  was  great  and  they  thankfully  returned  to  their  lodgings. 

Meanwhile  Sister  Howell,  who  was  an  energetic  woman, 
staunch  in  the  faith  and  anxious  to  do  all  she  could  for  the 
gospel's  sake,  had  been  left  to  manage  and  carry  on  the 
business  at  home  in  Wales.  But  she  soon  found  to  her  sorrow, 
that  with  embracing  the  truth  their  financial  interests  suffered. 
The  business  went  down  fast,  for  their  patrons  had  turned 
against  them  and  very  few  now  came  to  buy  from  them,  so 
that  Sister  Howell  now  had  very  little  else  than  the  allowance 
from  her  father,  which  she  had  received  ever  since  she  was 
married.  But  her  father,  being  angry  with  her  for  the  disgrace, 
as  he  termed  it,  she  had  brought  on  him  by  joining  the  despised 
"Mormons,"  now  also  threatened  to  withdraw  this  much 
needed  money,  unless  she  would  promise  to  withdraw  from 
the  objectionable  people. 

Her  father  was  also  much  displeased  with  Sister  Howell 
because  she  was  contributing  largely  of  her  means  to  help  the 
cause  along  in  France.  The  tracts  had  to  be  translated  and 
printed  in  French,  lodgings  had  to  be  paid  for  as  well  as  many 
other  expenses  and  it  all  had  to  come  from  Sister  Howell's 
now  fast  diminishing  supply. 

One  day  Sister  Howell's  brother  came  as  a  messenger 
from  their  father  to  persuade  his  sister  to  leave  the  Mormon 
Church.  Their  father  had  sent  him  with  the  express  command 
for  her  to  sever  her  connections  with  those  people  and  to 
leave  off  sending  money  to  France  for  the  purpose  of  helping 
their  cause  along.  And  furthermore  he  sent  word  that  if  she 
did  not  comply  with  his  wishes  she  would  be  disinherited 
and  her  allowance  cut  off. 


12  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

This  was  an  awful  blow  to  Sister  Howell,  who  could  not 
see  how  the  cause  in  France  could  go  on  without  the  money 
she  received  from  her  father ;  yet  she  knew  that  God  did  not 
have  to  depend  upon  any  one  person ;  but  she  was  so  anxious 
to  do  and  help  this  work  along. 

She  told  her  brother  that  she  was  unable  to  comply  with 
her  father's  wishes,  as  she  knew  that  it  was  safer  for  her 
to  do  the  will  of  her  Heavenly  Father,  than  that  of  her 
earthly  father  and  that  she  was  sorry,  as  she  sadly  needed 
her  father's  help. 

Finding  that  all  his  pleadings  were  vain,  her  brother  re- 
turned to  their  father  with  this  message,  and  when  the  old 
gentleman  heard  it  he  became  so  enraged  that  he  struck  the 
table  with  his  cane  and  swore  that  on  the  next  day  he  would 
send  for  his  lawyer  and  she  would  be  cut  off  without  a  penny. 
Her  brother  plead  for  her  to  no  purpose. 

Meanwhile  Sister  Howell  went  before  the  Lord  and  laid 
the  matter  in  His  hands.  She  asked  Him  to  clear  the  way 
for  her,  that  she  might  be  able  to  carry  out  her  heart's  desire 
if  it  so  pleased  Him.  She  felt  comforted  after  this  and  that 
evening  she  went  to  prayer  meeting. 

She  had  not  spoken  to  anyone  about  this  trouble  of  hers, 
being  a  very  reserved  woman,  who  always  kept  her  own 
counsel. 

The  Saints  used  to  have  spiritual  feasts  at  their  prayer 
meetings.  They  were  all  full  of  this  new  and  wonderful 
gospel  and  they  were  spiritually  minded,  seeking  the  Kingdom 
of  God  and  trying  to  keep  His  commandments.  They  rejoiced 
in  coming  together  and  often  some  of  the  Saints  spoke  in 
tongues ;  others  interpreted  and  they  enjoyed  other  manifesta- 
tions. That  night  one  brother  arose  and  spoke  in  tongues 
and  the  interpretation  was  to  this  effect:  the  sister  who  was 
sorely  troubled  about  her  financial  affairs  should  take  comfort, 
as  God  would  work  out  all  things  for  her  good. 

Sister  Howell  went  home  supremely  happy,  knowing  that 
the  Heavely  Father  would  provide  a  way  for  her.  She  went 
to  bed  that  night  with  thanksgiving  in  her  heart. 

About  midnight  she  was  awakened  by  a  loud  ringing 
of  the  door-bell  and  springing  up  in  alarm  she  ran  to  the 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  13 

door  and  there  found  her  brother  once  more.  He  was  in  great 
haste  and  told  her  to  hurry,  put  something  on,  he  had  a 
carriage  waiting  to  take  her  back  to  their  father  who  was 
dying,  but  he  wanted  to  see  her  before  his  death. 

How  anxious  was  the  daughter  to  see  her  father  once 
more  and  say  a  few  words  of  comfort  to  him  before  they 
should  part  for  all  time!  But  when  they  arrived  at  her 
father's  house  he  had  gone  beyond  the  pale  of  understanding 
the  things  of  this  world. 

The  old  gentleman  had  been  taken  severely  ill  soon  after 
supper  and  he  died  before  morning,  without  having  recognized 
his  daughter,  but  also  without  having  had  time  to  alter  his  will. 

Sister  Howell  then  was  left  in  possession  of  her  monthly 
allowance  and  also  received  her  share  of  interest  from  a  coal 
mine  in  which  her  father  had  been  a  part  owner. 

She  was  also  able  to  help  carry  on  the  good  work  in 
France. 

HI. 

When  Ann  Howell  had  been  in  France  a  year  and  a  half 
she  returned  with  her  father  to  good  old  Aberdare  where  she 
was  welcomed  back  by  many  of  their  new  friends,  of  humbler 
origin,  perhaps,  than  their  friends  of  former  days,  but  w\hose 
friendship  was  sincere.  Ann  had  learned  a  great  many  things 
in  France,  which  were  of  help  to  her  in  after  life. 

As  the  Church  at  Aberdare  grew,  the  persecution  in- 
creased ;  but  the  Saints-  did  not  grow  faint-hearted  or  weary, 
for  though  the  road  was  narrow  and  thorny  it  was  often  lighted 
up  by  glimpses  of  heaven.  Many  were  the  manifestations  of 
spiritual  gifts;  and  many  miracles  were  performed  to 
strengthen  the  faith  and  testimonies  of  the  Saints. 

One  day  Ann  saw  a  multitude  of  people  surrounding  the 
house  of  a  collier,  who  had  just  been  carried  home  on  a 
stretcher,  apparently  dying.  A  great  lump  of  coal  had  fallen 
on  his  back  and  broken  his  spine.  Ann  went  inside  the  house 
with  the  crowd  to  learn  something  of  the  poor  mian's  condition. 
He  had  lately  joined  the  Church  but  his  wife  had  not.  Great 
sympathy  was  felt  for  the  man,  and  several  doctors  were  sent 
for  by  various  people.     They  held  a  consultation  and  came 


14  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

to  the  conclusion  that  the  man  would  only  be  able  to  live  a 
couple  of  hours  at  the  most.  But  the  injured  man  whispered 
to  his  wife  to  send  for  the  "Mormon"  elders.  Brother  Howell, 
who  was  President  of  the  bratl'ch,  came  with  his  counselors 
and  they  administered  to  the  sick  man  and  Brother  Howell 
commanded  him  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  to  arise  from;  his 
bed.  And  those  who  stood  around  the  bed  heard  the  bones 
of  the  sick  man's  body  crack  as  they  slid  back  into  their  places 
and  the  man  arose  from  his  bed  and  gave  thanks  to  God  for  his 
mercy.  Then  the  unbelievers  could  see  that  there  had  been 
a  great  miracle  performed,  but  they  said  that  it  had  been  done 
by  the  power  of  the  evil  one. 

One  afternoon,  at  a  Sunday  meeting,  two  girls,  who  had 
partaken  of  the  sacrament  unworthily,  showed  unmistakable 
signs  of  being  possesed  of  evil  spirits,  and  it  frightened  the 
people.  The  President  of  the  conference.  Brother  Phillips, 
was  present,  and  with  some  of  the  other  brethern  went  to  the 
girls  and  rebuked  the  evil  spirits.  But  the  spirits  spoke 
through  the  girls  and  said  they  could  only  be  cast  out  by 
Brigham  Young  in  Salt  Lake.  But  the  brethren  continued  to 
rebuke  them  and  finally  the  girls  became  normal  and  the  evil 
spirits  left  them.  During  this  incident  the  girls'  faces  had  been 
horribly  distorted  and  the  voices  with  which  they  spoke  were 
unnatural  and  decidedly  not  their  own.  They  were  afterwards 
rebaptized,  for  they  had  done  something  wrong. 

Sister  Howell  had  a  young  girl  working  for  her,  wihom  she 
later  adopted.  This  girl  had  been  brought  up  among  the 
poorest  of  the  poor  and  had  never  had  an  opportunity  of  learn- 
ing anything,  but  she  was  gifted  with  wonderful  musical  abil- 
ity.   She  had  joined  the  Church  and  was  a  good,  true  girl. 

About  a  week  after  her  confirmation  into  the  Church,  she 
went  to  meeting  and  the  gift  of  speaking  in  tongues  was  given 
to  her  in  a  most  wonderful  degree.  When  she  arose  to  her 
feet  she  began  to  sing  a  most  beautiful  song.  The  words  and 
music  were  blended  harmoniously,  and  although  it  was  in  an 
unknown  tongue  and  no  one  present  understood  it,  everybody 
was  delighted,  and  the  siprit  that  went  with  it  was  sweet  and 
heavenly.    The  gift  of  interpretation  was  also  given  her,  and 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  15 

she  interpreted  it  herself  in  song.  No  one  knew  before  then 
that  the  girl  could  sing;  but  after  that  she  often  delighted  the 
people. 

One  day  a  gentleman  nametl  John  McMamout,  from  India, 
came  to  visit  Ann's  father.  He  was  highly  educated  and  spoke 
many  different  languages.  Brother  Howell  invited  the  stanger 
to  dine  with  them,  that  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  ex- 
plaining the  Gospel,  which  was  his  delight.  The  gentleman 
accepted  the  invitation,  and  an  interesting  Gospel  conversation 
ensued.  Afterwards,  as  was  the  daily  custom.  Brother  Howell 
rang  a  bell  for  the  members  of  his  household  to  assemble  for 
devotion  in  a  certain  room  which  had  been  set  apart  for  that 
purpose.  After  Brother  Howell  had  prayed  and  said  amen, 
the  girl  arose  and  spoke  in  a  tongue  unknown  to  all  present 
except  the  stranger,  who  understood  and  interpreted.  She  had 
told  him  that  the  "Mormon"  Church  was  the  Church  of  Christ 
and  that  there  was  no  other.  The  girl  spoke  to  him  in  several 
different  languages,  which  he  understood.  He  marveled 
greatly. 

About  the  year  1850  Brother  Howell  was  advised  by  the 
brethern  to  emigrate ;  so,  accordingly,  he  sold  out,  and  with  his 
family  started  for  the  new  Zion,  the  land  of  promise  to  those 
who  love  God.  While  waitirtg  at  Liverpool,  a  certain  wealthy 
man,  who  was  interested  in  the  Gospel,  but  who,  probably,  like 
Nicodemus,  had  too  much  of  this  world's  goods,  gave  a  recep- 
tion in  honor  of  Brothers  John  Taylor,  Orson  Pratt  and  Frank- 
lin D.  Richards.  Brother  Howell's  wife  and  daughter  were 
also  invited,  and  to  Ann,  who  was  fond  of  such  things,  this 
was  a  great  occasion.  It  was  a  grand  affair  and  Ann  distin- 
guished herself  by  singing  a  French  song;  and  she  was  noticed 
considerable  for  having  been  in  France  with  her  father.  If 
the  young  girl  had  had  some  notions  of  her  own  importance, 
if  any  pride  had  crept  into  her  young  heart  it  was  speedily 
taken  out  by  subsequent  events,  for  now  the  road  to  trials  and 
poverty  began  in  earnest. 

A  journey  across  the  Atlantic  in  those  days  was  very  dif- 
ferent from  the  way  we  travel  today  and  there  was  much  to  put 
up  with ;  but  Brother  Howell  was  one  of  the  most  cheerful  of 
men.     He  was  president  of  the  company  going  over  and  he, 


16  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

with  his  helpers,  made  things  as  pleasant  as  possible  for  the 
travelers.  He  had  the  happy  faculty  of  making  the  best  of 
everything  and  inspiring  others  with  the  same  feeling.  The 
captain,  too,  was  an  extraordinary  man,  accommodating  the 
Saints  whenever  he  could.  The  work  of  the  Lord  went  on, 
"also,  during  the  journey.  There  were  no  less  than  fifty  added 
to  the  Church  during  the  fifty  days'  sojourn  on  board  ship. 
Twenty-one  were  baptized  in  the  open  sea  on  a  platform  let 
down  into  the  water  from  the  ship's  side.  The  good  captain 
had  this  platform  constructed  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
brethren.  But  in  spite  of  the  Spirit  of  God  manifested  to  the 
travelers  it  was  in  many  respects,  a  hard  and  trying  time  for 
Sister  Howell  w^ho  was  unused  to  the  rough  side  of  life.  Ann 
bore  her  part  of  the  hardships  with  the  cheerfulness  of  a 
child  who  has  the  happy  faculty  of  finding  pleasure  and  diver- 
sion in  the  most  forbidding  surroundings.  However,  the  jour- 
ney was  over  at  last.  Brother  Howell  and  his  family  took  up 
their  abode  at  Council  Bluffs,  where  he  started  a  store  for  the 
purpose  of  maintaining  his  family  till  the  next  year,  when  they 
intended  to  continue  their  travels  to  Salt  Lake.  But  God  had 
decreed  it  otherwise.  Brother  Howell  was  a  delicate  man,  and 
the  hardships  of  the  new  life  soon  told  on  him.  He  died  at 
Kanesville  that  same  fall.  Brothers  Hyde  and  Benson,  two  of 
the  apostles,  visited  him  every  night  to  comfort  him  in  his 
last  hours.    He  died  in  full  faith. 

IV. 

In  1852  Sister  Howell,  now  the  sole  caretaker  of  the  little 
family,  prepared  to  begin  the  journey  westward.  Brother 
Howell  had  brought  with  him  quite  a  collection  of  books, 
which  he  had  intended  to  add  to  a  proposed  public  library  in 
Salt  Lake  City.  But  to  obtain  means  Sister  Howell  was  obliged 
to  sell  them  at  a  sacrifice.  So  the  journey  began  by  ox 
team  and  the  children  thought  it  great  fun.  One  day  Ann  and 
her  brothers  had  had  a  particularly  fine  time ;  and  one  of  the 
little  boys,  William,  become  very  tired.  He  laid  down  in  the 
high  grass  under  the  wagon  and  fell  asleep.  No  one  thought 
about  him  till  the  company  was  about  to  start  again.     Sister 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  17 

Howell  missed  him,  but  thinking  he  was  as  usual  among 
the  other  children  of  the  company  the  oxen  were  started  up  and 
the  heavy  wagon  passed  over  the  body  of  poor  little  William, 
killing  him  instantly.  The  stricken  mother  was  beside  herself 
with  grief;  but  she  bent  her  head  and  bowed  to  the  will  of  the 
Father.  Her  child  was  buried  on  the  plains,  where  the  bodies 
of  so  many  other  pioneers  had  to  be  laid  to  rest. 

This  accident  saddened  the  whole  company,  of  course,  and 
Ann  and  her  brothers  were  heavy  at  heart,  particularly  Ann, 
who  was  her  mother's  comfort  and  mainstay.  But  the  jour- 
ney ended  at  last  and  it  was  a  happy  day,  when  they  arrived 
in  the  valley.  Salt  Lake  City  wasn't  much  of  a  place  in  1852, 
but  the  weary  travelers  thought  it  a  heavenly  rest,  for  they 
were  free  from  the  persecutions  they  had  been  subject  to  in 
their  old  home. 

They  met  many  friends  and  kind-hearted  people,  who  were 
willing  and  anxious  to  help  the  newcomers  along,  but  each 
one  had  enough  in  his  own  load. 

At  the  time  the  Howells  left  their  home  Sister  Howell's 
relatives  had  her  part  of  her  father's  property  put  in  chancery, 
and  if  you  have  ever  read  Dicken's  novels  you  have  perhaps 
some  idea  of  how  very  tedious  were  the  proceedings  of  chan- 
cery. There  the  property  remained  for  about  ten  years  and 
meanwhile  the  widow  and  her  children  often  suffered  for  the 
necessities  of  life. 

Ann  was  now  fourteen  years  old,  a  well-grown,  tall  and 
handsome  lass,  with  the  longings  and  aspirations  of  youth. 
She  was  obliged  to  go  about  from  place  to  place  and  sell  shawls 
and  other  dry  goods  that  her  mother  had  brought  away  from 
her  store  at  Council  Bluffs.  It  hurt  her  pride  exceedingly; 
but  the  family  had  to  live  and  she  did  not  complain  for  that 
would  only  make  the  load  heavier  for  the  mother. 

After  a  year  and  a  half  of  struggling  Sister  Howell  re- 
moved to  Brigham  City  with  her  family,  thinking  she  could  do 
better  there.  Two  years  later  Ann  was  married.  She  had  not 
tasted  much  of  youth's  pleasures  and  now  she  was  plunged 
headlong  into  life's  cares  and  responsibilities. 


18  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Shortly  after  Ann's  marriage  her  husband  found  it  neces- 
sary to  go  away  from  Utah  to  seek  work,  but  Ann  would  not 
go  with  him.  She  said  they  had  come  to  Utah  for  the  Gospel's 
sake  and  here  she  would  stay.  Some  months  later  she  became 
the  mother  of  a  fine  boy. 

While  she  was  rejoicing  in  the  possession  of  this  wonder- 
ful treasure,  her  poor  mother  passed  through  another  great 
sorrow ;  the  youngest  child,  while  playing  around  the  fireplace 
outdoors  where  the  family  cooking  was  done,  fell  into  the  fire 
and  was  so  badly  burned  that  he  died  a  few  days  later. 

The  family  lived  in  a  log  house  with  the  ground  for  a  floor 
and  had  but  few  and  crude  conveniences  to  help  make  cook- 
ing and  the  housework  easy.  Many  a  night  did  Ann  weep  her- 
self to  sleep  worrying  over  the  future,  wondering  where  she 
was  to  get  the  necessaries  for  herself  and  her  child.  They  had 
sold  the  small  place  her  husband  had,  that  he  might  get  means 
for  his  journey  to  California  and  she  had  gone  back  to  live 
with  her  mother. 

Back  in  Wales  Sister  Howell's  brother  had  heard  of  the 
hardships  of  his  sister  and  her  family,  by  some  apostates,  who 
had  returned  to  their  native  city.  He  wrote  to  them  and  gener- 
ously offered  to  assist  and  support  them;  would  give  them  a 
place  of  their  own  and  would  see  that  they  should  not  want  for 
the  comforts  of  life,  if  they  would  but  come  back.  It  came  as 
a  great  temptation  in  their  poverty;  but,  as  Sister  Howell  ar- 
gued, what  would  it  benefit  them?  She  knew  that  they  never 
could  be  satisfied  there ;  they  had  tasted  the  sweets  of  the  Gos- 
pel and  that  with  poverty  and  privations  would  be  better  than 
this  world's  goods  and  the  longing  that  they  knew  could  never 
be  appeased. 

So  they  wrote  to  the  brother  and  told  him  that  they  were 
satisfied  to  live  as  they  were  and  would  trust  in  the  Lord  and 
abide  his  time.    He  would  help  them  out  of  their  poverty. 

Shortly  after  this  Ann's  husband  returned,  but  without 
the  golden  fleece  he  had  expected  to  obtain,  and  they  took  up 
the  battle  of  life  in  a  dugout  some  few  miles  from  where  her 
mother  lived,  and  life  went  on  with  many  trials  and  tribula- 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  19 

tions,  interspersed  with  glimpses  of  sunshine,  but  always  with 
the  feeling  of  security  and  trust  in  the  Heavenly  Father. 

They  shared  the  ups  and  downs  of  the  people  in  general, 
mourned  or  rejoiced  with  their  neighbors  and  they  were  all 
like  one  big  family. 

When  they  had  lived  in  Utah  some  ten  years  Sister  Howell 
one  day  received  a  letter  from  Wales  informing  her  that  she 
had  been  made  beneficiary  of  the  deeding  of  interest  in  coal 
mines  and  also  that  the  estate  in  chancery  had  been  disposed 
of  and  that  her  presence  in  Wales  was  necessary.  So,  Sister 
Howell  went  to  Salt  Lake  to  consult  with  President  Young, 
who  advised  her  to  go  back  and  get  what  was  hers  by  right 
and  who  also  kindly  furnished  her  the  money  to  go. 

Accordingly  Sister  Howell  soon  found  herself  in  the  dear 
old  home  once  more  and  she  was  kindly  received  by  her  rela- 
tives. Her  sister,  who  was  married  to  a  retired  American  con- 
sul, did  all  in  her  power  to  induce  her  to  stay  in  Wales  and 
send  for  her  children.  She  showed  her  all  the  good  things 
she  herself  possesed,  and  assured  Sister  Howell  that  she 
should  have  the  same.  She  showed  her  the  cellar  with  its 
wealth  of  fruits  and  jams,  but  Sister  Howell,  who  was  not 
willing  to  be  outdone  by  her  sister,  assured  that  lady  that  the 
squashes  and  pumpkins  of  Utah  were  superior  to  anything 
she  had  tasted  in  Wales.    And  she  used  to  sing  the  liymn  : 

Beautiful  mountain  home 

Where  love  is  found 

And  joys  abound, 
What  Saints  from  these  would  roam. 

The  world  may  despise 

But  dearly  we  prize 
Our  beautiful  mountain  home. 

It  was,  of  course,  impossible  for  the  rich  lady  to  under- 
stand such  love  for  a  wild,  strange  land,  for  she  comprehended 
not  the  love  for  the  Gospel  and  its  strength,  which  had  enabled 
her  sister  to  bear  with  fortitude  the  many  and  fiery  trials  be- 
neath which  she  would  otherwise  have  sunk. 

Sister  Howell  stayed  in  Wales  about  a  year,  and  at  the 
end  of  this  time  the  tangled  threads  of  her  interests  had  been 
straightened  and  she  returned  to  Utah  with  great  joy.     The 


20  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Lord  had  now  blessed  her  with  worldly  means  and  she  emi- 
grated thirteen  people,  who  with  her  rejoiced  in  going  home 
to  the  land  of  promise.  The  family's  poverty  was  over  and 
Sister  Howell  delighted  in  doing  good  with  what  God  had  en- 
trusted to  her  care. 

V. 

Leaves  from  Ann's  Journal. 

October,  1854.  My  husband  has  gone  to  California  to 
get  some  work  if  possible,  as  we  are  quite  destitute.  He 
wanted  me  to  accompany  him,  but  I  could  not  think  of  it. 
It  may  be  better  there  in  a  way;  but  we  have  come  here  for 
the  Gospel's  sake,  and  here  I  intend  to  stay  and  weather  it 
out  with  the  rest  of  the  Saints. 

March  18th,  '55. 

I  have  been  going  to  the  home  of  a  well-to-do  widow — 
well-to-do  as  compared  with  the  general  poverty  that  prevails. 
I  have  been  going  there  once  a  week,  for  the  purpose  of  help- 
ing her  with  her  work,  for  which  I  have  received  my  dinner 
and  a  loaf  of  bread  as  wages.  No  much,  to  be  sure;  but 
it  is  better  than  nothing. 

Yesterday,  as  I  was  going  to  my  work,  carrying  my  baby 
in  my  arms,  and  feeling  weak  and  faint  from  want  of  food,  I 
dragged  my  limbs,  for  they  felt  like  lead.  As  I  passed  the 
corner  of  a  certain  street,  a  woman  came  out  of  her  door  and 
offered  me  a  piece  of  bacon  to  take  home  with  me.  It  was 
the  first  time  I  had  been  offered  alms  like  that  in  the  street 
and  my  eyes  fell  to  the  ground ;  but  they  also  filled  with  tears 
of  gratitude  for  I  surely  needed  the  bacon,  and  while  my  lips 
framed  a  reluctant  refusal,  my  hands  trembled  with  eagerness 
for  it.  The  sister  saw  my  predicament  and  simply  laid  the 
gift  in  my  hands  and  I  thanked  her  and  hurried  back  home 
to  fry  some  of  it.  That,  with  some  stale  bread,  did  give  me 
more  strength,  and  I  went  to  my  work  feeling  very  grateful. 

We  are  very,  very  poor!  We  make  coffee  out  of  bran, 
and  we  have  neither  milk  nor  butter;  if  we  want  sugar  we 
must  make  it  ourselves  and  out  of  beets.  We  seel  our  good 
clothes,  that  we  have  brought  from  Wales,  to  buy  flour  with. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  21 

But  we  are  not  alone  in  our  poverty.    The  people  are  all  poor. 

Brother  G.  tried  to  mix  sawdust  with  his  bread  stuff; 
but  it  did  not  work  very ;  it  made  them  all  ill ;  still  they  had 
to  eat  what  he  had  mixed  up  for  it  was  too  precious  to  waste. 

Oh  for  a  few  of  the  good  things  we  had  at  home ! 

We  were  given  a  piece  of  meat  by  Brother  V.  He  had 
been  up  in  the  mountains  and  carried  home  a  couple  of  dead 
animals  that  had  died  of  starvation  during  the  cold  winter. 
Well,  there  was  not  much  meat  to  it,' and  when  it  was  boiled 
it  was  black;  still  it  satisfied  our  hunger. 

The  other  day  I  tried  to  sing  "Home  Sweet  Home;"  I 
took  out  the  pretty  pink  silk  on  which  it  is  printed  and  which 
Brother  John  Taylor  gave  me  back  in  dear  old  Wales,  when 
he  used  to  make  his  home  with  us,  dear  good  man.  But  my 
voice  failed  and  I  broke  down  and  cried.  But  mother  started 
up  in  her  rich,  cheerful  voice : 

"Oh  Babylon,  Oh  Babylon, 
We  bid  thee  farewell; 
We're  going  to  the  mountains 
Of  Ephraim  to  dwell." 

Then  I  dried  my  eyes  and  had  to  smile  at  mother's  anxiety 
to  set  me  right. 

April  18th,  '58 — An  army  is  coming  to  destroy  us,  so  they 
say. 

Johnson's  army,  they  call  it. 

They  have  winterquartered  out  at  Ham's  Fork.  .  It  may 
be  their  intention  to  destroy  us;  but  Providence  is  over  all. 
I  have  no  fear,  yet  I  know  that  many  are  trembling.  It  looks 
dark. 

President  Young  has  counseled  the  people  to  move  south 
and  we  are  all  going.  We  have  been  packing  up  our  few 
belongings ;  we  haven't  much,  which  is  a  consolation  at  this 
time. 

If  the  soldiers  prove  as  hostile  as  is  feared,  our  men  are 
going  to  set  fire  to  our  houses  and  cabins  so  that  nothing  but 
desolation  will  greet  Johnston  and  his  men. 

July — We  are  at  Provo  Bottoms  and  just  having  a  fine 
time.  Mother  and  the  children  and  everybody  here.  And  we 
are  just  enjoying  ourselves,  having  happy  sociable  times  in 


22  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

spite  of  the  camp-life  and  the  primitive  conditions  with  which 
we  are  surrounded. 

We  have  obeyed  the  counsel  of  our  leaders  and  all  will 
work  out  for  our  good.  I  never  thought  we  could  have  such 
a  fine  time  in  exile.  We  go  visiting  each  other  and  we  women 
go  in  clusters  down  to  the  lake  and  bathe  with  the  children. 

Johnston  and  his  men  seem  very  nice  people  in  a  way; 
they  have  come  in  peaceably  and  are  scattering  their  abund- 
ance among  the  people — "All  things  worketh  together  for  good 
to  them  that  love  and  serve  the  Lord." 

And  now  we  must  go  back  to  our  homes.  It  is  almost 
with  a  feeling  of  regret  that  we  leave,  for  we  have  found  so 
many  nice,  congenial  people,  and  we  have  certainly  enjoyed 
this  bit  of  hardship. 

August — At  home  in  Brigham  once  more.  Oh,  but  it 
seems  desolate !  The  Indians  have  burned  up  what  little 
furniture  we  had  left  and  taken  out  of  our  houses  what  they 
could  use. 

There  is  no  grain  for  none  has  been  stored,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  harvest,  for  nothing  was  planted.  What  will  we 
do  for  food  for  the  little  ones?  But  we  must  trust  in  Him 
who  never  forsook  us. 

September — We  have  found  a  large  patch  of  segoes  below 
the  town,  which  seem  to  have  been  planted  especially  for  us. 
They  are  fine,  large  and  good  tasting — not  like  the  small 
variety  we  children  used  to  find,  above  town.  Mother  and 
I  take  our  sacks  and  go  down  to  the  patch  and  dig  quantities, 
along  with  our  neighbors.  The  first  day  mother  heaved  a 
deep  sigh  as  she  shouldered  her  sack  and  as  I  came  up  behind 
her,  tears  came  to  my  eyes  at  the  sight.  It  doesn't  matter 
about  me,  but  my  poor  hard-tried  mother,  who  might  now 
have  been  a  lady  at  her  ease  back  in  dear  old  Aberdare !  But 
what  benefiteth  it  a  man  if  he  gains  the  whole  world,  etc. 

Now,  we  do  not  sigh  any  more,  nor  do  I  shed  tears — 
only  of  gratitude  for  the  food  we  have  found.  There  are  about 
twenty  or  thirty  acres  of  the  segoes  I  should  judge;  so  I 
hope  they  will  not  give  out  soon. 

November — I  had  occasion  to  go  and  see  Sister  B.,  this 
morning  and  such  a  treat  as  I  had ;  warm  biscuits  and  honey. 
I  never  tasted  anything  so  delicious. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  23 

When  Sister  B.  returned  from  her  exile  she  and  the  child- 
ren found  a  patch  of  milk-weed  flowers  all  covered  with  honey. 
They  picked  the  flowers,  rinsed  them  in  a  tub  of  water  and 
afterwards  boiled  the  fluid  down.  They  obtained  about  a 
gallon  of  honey.     My,  but  it  is  good ! 

May  18 — We  are  living  on  a  farm  at  Three  Mile  Creek.  I 
have  had  to  ride  the  plough  horse.  It  has  nearly  ruined  my 
complexion,  but  that  is  not  the  worst  annoyance,  nor  the 
greatest  danger  that  has  threatened  us  on  the  farm.  The 
Indians  seem  to  be  on  the  warpath  and  we  live  in  constant 
fear  of  an  attack  from  them. 

Our  neighbor.  Sister  Peters,  was  left  alone  one  night. 
After  going  to  bed,  she  heard  someone  trying  to  open  the 
door,  and  just  as  she  threw  herself  against  it,  she  felt  the 
weight  of  somebody  from  the  other  side.  In  spite  of  her 
efforts  Sister  Peters  was  forced  back  slightly  and  a  bronzed 
arm  shot  through  the  aperture.  Someway  she  got  hold  of  the 
table  and  pulled  it  up  in  front  of  the  door,  and  catching  up 
the  butcher  knife,  which  lay  on  it,  she  ran  the  back  of  the 
knife  along  the  arm,  which  was  quickly  withdrawn.  Then 
she  began  to  scream  for  her  husband,  who  was  nowhere  near, 
but  it  had  the  effect  of  hustling  the  savages  away. 

November,  1860 — Back  again  to  Brigham.  Living  in  a 
small  house  that  leaks  very  badly ;  we  sleep  in  the  cellar  close 
by  the  house,  yet  we  are  not  safe  from  the  rain  there ;  we 
have  to  sleep  with  umbrellas  over  our  heads. 

Many  of  our  men  have  to  work  at  Camp  Floyd,  where  the 
soldiers  are  stationed,  and  oh,  what  a  Godsend  that  army  has 
been  to  the  people  of  Utah!  Their  coming  was  like  an 
ominous  cloud  over  our  heads  and  our  hearts  almost  failed 
us  with  fear ;  but  the  cloud  was  big  with  mercy  and  broke 
with  blessings  on  our  heads. 

How  much  good  cheer  they  have  brought  to  our  homes ; 
for  they  furnished  our  men  with  work  and  paid  well  for  it. 

We  have  been  able  to  sell  our  products,  such  as  we  can 
raise  at  a  good  price,  and  they  have  scattered  wagons,  oxen, 
wagon-covers,  clothes  and  many  needed  things  among  us. 
Who  but  an  allwise  Father  could  have  sent  the  enemy  with 
the  succor  we  needed  so  badly. 


24  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

May,  '63 — We  are  living  in  a  dugout  up  here  on  the  North 
Spring.  The  neighbors  call  it  the  Gastle  of  Spiders  and  it  is 
well  named,  for  I  never  saw  so  many  reptiles  and  bugs  of 
all  kinds. 

For  several  mornings  I  was  puzzled  to  find  my  milk-pan 
skimmed ;  could  not  understand  what  could  have  done  it.  So 
the  other  evening  I  sat  down  behind  the  door,  with  my  knit- 
ting, to  watch  proceedings,  and  what  was  my  surprise  to  see  a 
huge  bull-snake  come  crawling  out  from  the  head  of  our  bed 
and  swaying  gracefully  toward  my  crude  cupboard,  began 
to  skim  my  cream. 

Now  I  cover  my  milk  tightly. 

This  is  a  hidious  place.  Some  days  ago,  I  killed  a  rattle- 
snake with  my  rolling  pin,  as  he  came  crawling  down  the 
steps.  I  was  just  cooking  supper  and  the  baby  was  on  the 
floor  or  rather  the  ground,  for  we  have  no  other  floor.  I  was 
badly  frightened. 

November,  1863 — The  Indians  have  been  troublesome  for 
a  long  time,  pilfering  here  and  there,  scaring  the  women  half 
to  death.  They  stole  a  horse  of  ours  and  one  night  they  killed 
a  man  a  few  miles  from  here.  So  most  of  the  men  up  here  on 
the  spring  formed  a  company,  and  went  out  to  make  an  attack 
on  them. 

My  neighbor.  Sister  Jerusha  Pierce — she  is  the  daughter 
of  the  martyred  Hyrum  Smith  and  sister  to  the  patriarch 
John  Smith  and  also  to  Joseph  F.  Smith — well,  she  came  over 
to  spend  the  day  with  me  while  our  husbands  were  away. 
I  had  prepared  lunch  and  we  sat  down  comfortably  to  gossip 
a  bit,  thinking  very  little  of  the  Indians  or  any  other  danger. 

All  of  a  sudden  we  were  nearly  petrified  with  fright  to 
see  two  of  the  bronzed  terrors  in  full  war  paint  and  regalia 
standing  in  the  doorway. 

In  an  imperative  manner,  they  demanded  bread,  which 
I  gave. 

Then  they  apparently  consulted  together ;  after  which  one 
started  toward  Sister  Jerusha  pointing  his  gun  at  her.  She 
fainted  promptly  and  I  felt  like  doing  the  same,  but  in  this 
moment  of  pressing  need,  I  remembered  having  heard  that 
an  Indian  has  some  little  respect  for  a  courageous  woman, 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  25 

so  snatching  the  ax,  which  we  kept  behind  the  door,  I  raised 
it  above  my  head  and  made  for  the  nearest  redskin.  Much 
to  my  surprise,  he  lowered  the  rifle  and  dodging  the  swing 
I  made  at  him,  laughed,  and  he  and  his  companion  quickly 
departed  saying  something  about  a  brave  squaw. 

Then  it  was  my  turn  to  faint  and  meanwhile,  Jerusha 
came  to,  and  two  such  bewildered  looking  objects  as  we  must 
have  presented  I  guess  are  seldom  seen. 

That's  an  experience  I  shall  never  forget,  nor  I  think  any 
of  us,  for  I  never  was  so  frightened  in  my  life. 

VI. 
Leaves  from  Ann's  Journal 

October,  1864.  We  are  going  to  move  away  from  here. 
I  am  weary  of  fighting  all  these  reptiles.  A  few  days  ago, 
while  keeping  the  flies  off  the  baby's  face  as  he  slept  on  an 
improvised  bed  on  the  floor,  I  discovered,  to  my  horror,  a 
large  tarantula  crawling  toward  the  child.  I  seized  the  broom- 
stick, thrust  the  end  of  it  at  the  tarantula  and  when  it  took 
hold  of  the  thing  which  was  provoking  it  I  hurriedly  put  it 
into  the  fire. 

July,  1865.  Last  week  we  Brigham  dames  and  lassies 
gave  a  dinner  in  honor  of  President  Brigham  Young.  It  was 
quite  an  affair  for  our  small  town.  The  tables  were  nicely 
decorated  and  we  had  a  lot  of  good  things.  President  Young 
seemed  to  hesitate  before  beginning  to  eat  and  looked  about 
the  table  apparently  for  something.  At  last  he  smilingly 
asked  one  of  the  waitresses  if  she  could  procure  him  a  bowl 
of  buttermilk.  We  got  it  in  a  hurry  and  when  he  received 
it  he  was  much  pleased  and  seemed  to  relish  that  more  than 
anything  else  on  the  table.  While  watching  him  at  the  table 
I  could  not  help  thinking,  "He  eats  to  live,  and  does  not  live 
to  eat." 

May,  1866.  Good  tidings  have  come  to  us  from  Wales: 
mother  will  at  last  receive  that  which  is  hers  and  of  which 
we  have  been  deprived  so  long.  Her  case  in  chancery  has 
been  disposed  of,  and  by  going  back,  she  will  receive  a  great 
deal  of  money.    It  will  at  least  seem  a  great  deal  to  us.    How 


26  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

thankful  we  are  that  after  so  many  years  of  poverty  and 
privations,  which  mother  has  borne  uncomplainingly,  she  will 
be  rewarded. 

We  have  no  money  to  travel  with,  but  mother  went  to 
Salt  Lake  to  see  President  Young;  it  took  her  three  days  to 
get  there  by  ox  team.  He  has  promised  to  loan  her  the  neces- 
sary funds.  He  even  offered  to  see  that  her  children  were 
well  placed  during  her  absence, — good,  kind  and  grand  man 
that  he  is.  But  that  is  not  necessary,  for  I  am  to  live  at 
mother's  place  and  take  care  of  my  family  and  hers — a  great 
responsibility,  being  young  myself. 

1878.  My  dear,  faithful  mother  has  passed  away  in  full 
faith  of  the  Gospel,  for  which  she  has  suffered  so  much. 
When  I  think  of  the  many  harrowing  trials  she  has  passed 
through  since  we  joined  the  Church  in  old  Wales,  I  can  not 
help  thinking,  that  straight  is  the  gate  and  narrow  the  way 
and  few  there  are  that  find  it;  and  if  it  wasn't,  as  Paul  says, 
for  the  hope  within  us,  we  would  of  all  people  be  the  most 
miserable.  But  often  when  she  has  been  near  to  sinking 
under  her  heavy  burden,  some  unseen  hand  held  her  up  and 
helped  her  climb  on.  Peace  be  to  her  soul ;  she  is  gathered 
with  my  dear  father  and  they  now  no  doubt  understand  the 
many  whys  and  wherefores  we  are  still  pondering  over. 

July,  1883.  Both  my  eldest  sons  and  my  husband  are 
on  missions.  It  is  a  great  joy  to  know  and  to  feel  that  they 
are  doing  something  for  the  great  cause;  and  that  God  has 
blessed  us  with  means  so  that  we  are  able  to  help  roll  the 
work  along. 

December,  1884.  A  great  sorrow  came  to  me  some  months 
ago.  My  next  eldest  son  William  Howell  Jones,  who  was 
laboring  in  the  Southern  States  mission,  came  near  losing 
his  life  in  a  terrible  mob  violence  in  Tennessee,  where  he  was 
working  together  with  Elders  Berry  and  Gibbs,  who  lost  their 
lives  for  Christ's  sake. 

We  received  a  telegram  from  Tennessee  that  three  "Mor- 
mon" missionaries  had  been  murdered,  and  my  son  was  one 
of  them.  When  this  terrible  news  reached  me  I,  being  already 
in  a  weakened  condition  after  a  paralytic  stroke,  collapsed. 
I  took  to  my  bed  and  grieved  my  heart  out,  almost,  the  whole 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  27 

day;  but  toward  evening  I  grew  calmer  and  I  reasoned  with 
myself  that  my  son  was  a  martyr  for  the  Gospel's  sake,  and 
instead  of  being  cast  down  should  I  not  rejoice  that  he  died 
doing  his  duty?  And  the  words  of  the  old  hymn  came  to  my 
mind,  "Why  should  we  mourn  and  think  our  lot  is  hard,  'Tis 
not  so,  all  is  well."  I  immediately  arose,  feeling  comforted. 
My  first  thought  was  of  my  family,  who  had  had  nothing  to 
eat  all  day  on  account  of  this  great  shock.  So  I  went  into 
the  garden  to  get  some  potatoes,  and  while  there,  my  husband 
came  shouting  and  waving  his  handkerchief.  I  knew  then 
that  some  good  news  concerning  my  boy  had  come,  which 
proved  true. 

He  was  unhurt,  but  was  coming  home  with  the  bodies 
of  the  other  two  brethren.  But  oh !  while  my  soul  was  re- 
joicing, the  hearts  of  others  were  breaking  in  sorrow. 

April,  1889.  The  days  of  my  youth  have  long  since  de- 
parted and  I'm  growing  old ;  still  am  I  grateful  for  the  com- 
parative good  health  and  strength  with  which  I  am  blessed ; 
neither  do  I  feel  old  in  my  spirit ;  and  I  also  have  great  need 
of  keeping  up  a  show  of  youthfulness,  for  I  still  have  young 
children  in  my  care :  two  of  my  dear  daughter's  who  died 
a  few  years  ago,  and  one  of  my  son's,  who  lost  his  wife. 

Ah !  the  many  heartaches  and  trials  that  make  up  life's 
bitter  school.  And  how  many  times  we  ask  "Why,  oh.  Father, 
why  must  I  drink  this  bitter  draught?"  Yet  can  I  say,  that 
He  fits  the  back  to  the  burden ;  so  why  complain !  But  life 
is  just  one  thing  after  another,  and  by  the  time  you  think 
that  now  perhaps  you  may  relax  a  little,  something  else  turns 
up  to  tax  your  powers  of  endurance. 

I  have  had  a  call  to  accept  a  five-years  mission  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  where  my  husband  is  laboring,  and  he  is 
ill  at  this  time  and  as  some  of  the  family  ought  to  go  and  it 
seems  that  I  am  best  prepared  to  do  so,  why  I  guess  I'll  go 
and  take  the  children  with  me. 

October,  1891.  After  two  years  of  missionary  life  in  the 
Sandwich  Islands,  we  are  back  once  more.  I  came  home  much 
sooner  than  I  expected  on  account  of  my  life ;  but  I  enjoyed 
the  trip  immensely. 


28  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

While  there  I  used  to  teach  a  Sunday  School  class  of  boys 
and  girls,  and  how  eager  those  boys  and  girls  were  to  learn. 
I  had  taken  with  me  a  book,  the  story  of  the  Bible,  and  I  would 
read  and  explain  to  them  from  that,  and  they  were  so  anxious 
to  hear,  that  sometimes  when  they  did  not  see  the  book  they 
would  come  up  to  me  and  say  excitedly:  ''You  forget  you 
book  Anni?"  And  when  I  would  hold  it  up  and  show  them 
they  seemed  greatly  pleased.    We  taught  them  in  English. 

While  on  the  Islands  I  had  the  honor  anfl  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing and  explaining  the  Gospel  to  the  Queen  Liliuokalani.  She 
sent  word  one  day  to  the  president  of  our  mission,  that  she  was 
coming  to  visit  her  subjects  at  Laie,  and  that  she  would  stop 
over  a  day  with  us.  Well,  the  sisters  (there  were  seven  of  us), 
got  busy  immediately  to  prepare  dinner  for  her  and  her  attend- 
ants. There  were  sixty  of  them  when  they  came.  We  had  ar- 
ranged the  tables  in  the  big  meeting-room  and  it  was  quite 
a  grand  affair. 

The  queen,  a  dark,  lady-like  woman,  was  splendidly 
dressed.  She  conversed  well  in  English  and  was  very  pleased. 
Her  appearance  was  refined  and  she  spoke  in  low  tones.  I 
had  the  honor  of  entertaining  her  while  the  other  sisters,  got 
the  dinner  ready  and  on  the  table. 

We  spoke  about  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  ancestors  of 
her  people  and  she  was  much  pleased  to  have  me  tell  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon  incidents.  She  expressed  a  great  desire  to 
possess  that  book  and  I  afterwards  bought  the  best  copy  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon  that  I  could  procure  there  and  presented 
her  with  it,  for  which  she  seemed  much  pleased. 

She  told  me  that  she  did  not  doubt  that  what  she  had 
heard  w<as  true,  but  it  would  be  impossible  for  her  to  embrace 
it,  as  she  feared  that  that  would  cost  her  her  throne.  Poor 
thing,  how  uncertain  are  the»things  of  this  world !  Her  throne 
she  may  lose  anyway ;  how  much  better  to  possess  the  favor  of 
the  Lord.     But  I  shall  always  remember  her  with  pleasure. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  of  sadness  that  I  left  many  dear 
friends  in  the  Hawaiian  country,  and  I  was  much  troubled  in 
my  heart  about  my  prospective  return  journey,  as  I  suffered' 
much  with  seasickness  going  over.   But  my  dear  husband  gave 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  29 

me  a  blessing  and  promised  me  that  I  should  not  be  ill  a  day 
nor  an  hour;  that  the  sea  should  be  calm  and  unruffled.  Well, 
that  promise  was  verified,  for  I  never  felt  better  in  my  life  than 
while  crossing  the  great  ocean,  and  the  children  reminded  me 
of  it  the  day  we  landed. 

October,  1893.  I  have  been  back  east  in  Pittston,  Penn., 
visiting  two  of  my  uncles :  Esdras  Howell,  who  is  a  member  of 
our  Church,  and  John  Howell,  a  wealthy  merchant.  I  went 
there  for  the  purpose  of  gathering  genealogical  data  and  I  had 
many  and  varying  experiences.  I  have  often  wished  that  I 
might  take  a  trip  like  that,  and  my  going  shows  that  "all  things 
come  to  him  who  waits." 

My  uncle,  the  merchant,  and  his  wife,  are  orthodox  Epis- 
copalians and  could  not  tolerate  the  "Mormons."  We  had 
many  a  battle  over  our  respective  beliefs,  and  often  when  they 
would  speak  disrespectfully  about  our  leaders  I  could  scarcely 
hold  my  temper,  but  I  bit  my  tongue  and  said,  "God  forgive 
you,  for  you  don't  know  what  you  are  fighting  against."  That 
mollified  them  and  they  would  excuse  their  extravagant  lan- 
guage. 

My  uncle  was  ill  for  a  while  during  my  visit  with  them 
and  communion  was  brought  to  him  from  the  church  and  after 
the  ceremony  my  aunt  offered  the  priest  cigars,  which  he 
helped  himself  to. 

There  was  great  lamentation  in  my  uncle's  family  because 
the  priest  was  going  away.  The  Lord  had  called  him  to  Phil- 
adelphia, so  they  said.  I  asked  my  aunt  the  cause  for  the 
change.  "Oh,"  said  she,  "it  is  almost  aggravating.  We  fur- 
nished him  an  elegant  home  and  paid  him  four  thousand  dol- 
lars a  year,  but  because  he  is  such  an  excellent  preacher  the 
Philadelphians  have  offered  him  six  thousand  dollars."  I  told 
her  that  I  did  not  think  the  Lord  had  anything  to  do  with  such 
a  call,  and  I  read  to  her  from  the  scriptures.  But  she  did  not 
take  kindly  to  it.  She  was,  however,  amazed  when  I  told  her 
that  our  missionaries  do  not  receive  any  pay;  she  could  hardly 
believe  it,  she  said. 

When  I  left  my  uncle's  house  I  was  sad  at  heart,  knowing 
and  feeling  that  the  one  essential  had  been  lacking  in  our  inter- 


30  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

course — true  sympathy.  They  could  not  see  the  beauty  of  my 
religion,  or  would  not,  for  they  closed  their  eyes  tight,  that  no 
ray  of  light  might  enter.  But  some  day  the  veil  will  be  lifted 
from  their  eyes,  dear  souls,  then  how  surprised  they  will  be ! 

While  east  I  visited  the  World's  Exposition  at  Chicago 
and  was  much  impressed  by  the  displays  of  the  various  arts 
and  crafts  of  the  different  nations.  How  wonderfully  has  God 
blessed  man;  how  great  must  He  be  since  His  children  even 
here  on  earth  have  learned  such  wonderful  accomplishments ! 

While  visting  my  Uncle  Esdras  Howell  at  Scranton,  we 
had  a  large  meeting  of  Saints  and  a  spiritual  feast  it  was.  One 
sister  told  of  a  drunken  husband,  who,  when  he  joined  the 
Church,  left  off  drinking  and  became  a  good  and  sober  man. 
She,  herself,  had  been  afflicted  with  a  cancer  on  the  cheek. 
The  doctors  had  pronounced  it  incurable,  but  she  had  gone  to 
the  servants  of  the  Lord  and  she  had  exercised  faith  before  the 
Lord  and  her  cancer  had  been  cured  by  administration  alone, 
and  left  her  cheek  in  a  perfectly  natural  condition.  Many  testi- 
monies did  I  gain  during  my  trip  that  strengthened  my  faith 
and  made  me  rejoice  that  I  had  received  this  blessed  Gospel  in 
the  days  of  my  youth. 

And  now  I  shall  write  no  more  in  my  journal.  I  know  not 
whether  my  days  be  many  or  few,  but  while  I  live  my  soul  re- 
joices in  His  goodness,  Who  led  me  over  the  rough  places  and 
never  forsook  me. 

I  do  not  regret  any  of  my  afflictions ;  I  realize  that  they  are 
part  of  life's  great  training  school.  Out  of  my  experience  I 
have  winnowed  a  few  grains  that  I  would  like  to  give  to  the 
young  and  rising  generation:  Be  honest  always,  and  firm  ; 
take  your  stand  for  what  you  know  to  be  right  and  then  stay 
by  it;  practice  economy  and  work;  be  kind  and  just  in  your 
dealings  and  be  not  hasty.  And  above  all  remember  that  a  fer- 
vent trust  in  the  Almighty  coupled  with  honest  effort  will  in 
time  bring  you  anything  you  wish.  Be  cheerful.  Under  all 
my  trials  and  experiences  I  have  tried  to  be  cheerful  and 
grateful. 

"It  is  easy  enough  to  be  cheerful 
When  life  goes  by  like  a  song, 
But  the  man  worth  while  is  the  man  who  can  smile 
When  everything  goes  dead  wrong." 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  31 

LEAVES  FROM  MY  JOURNAL,  185L 

My  father,  William  Howell,  was  a  wonderful  good  man, 
born  at  St.  Donnets,  South  Wales,  Glamorganshire,  Sept.  18, 
1816,  died  Nov.  21,  1851.  When  he  was  a  young  man  he  went 
to  London,  England,  and  started  a  store,  later  he  moved  to 
Aberdare,  South  Wales,  Glamorganshire,  w;here  he  was  mar- 
ried to  my  mother,  Martha  Williams.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  a  wealthy  old  gentleman,  who  owned  a  coal  mine.  They 
became  the  parents  of  a  large  family,  myself,  Ann,  born  July 
27th,  1840;  Reese,  who  came  to  Utah  and  became  a  wealthy 
merchant  in  Ogden,  he  died  in  19.14;  Martha  died  when  she  was 
nine  months  old ;  William  was  killed  on  the  plains  by  a  wagon 
running  over  him ;  Lewis  grew  up  and  came  to  Utah,  he  was 
a  faithful  Latter  Day  Saint  and  the  father  of  a  large  family, 
married  two  wives,  Sarah  Gunnel  from  Wellsville  being  the 
first  and  Mary  Williams,  sister  of  Senator  Williams  from  Salt 
Lake  City,  he  died  full  of  faith  in  the  Gospel  and  left  a  large 
respectable  family ;  Edmund  died  when  he  was  a  year  old ; 
Joseph  Howell  is  still  living  in  Logan,  he  has  a  large  respect- 
able family  and  at  present  writing  has  been  acting  Representa- 
tive in  Congress  for  twelve  years. 

My  father  was  the  first  missionary  to  introduce  the  Gospel 
in  France,  which  was  in  1850.  He  organized  the  Church  in  St. 
Mallow.  Later  on  he  came  back  to  Wales  to  visit  his  family 
and  upon  returning  took  me  back  to  France  with  him,  where 
I  readily  learned  to  speak  and  read  the  language  fluently. 
Later  on  he  was  released  to  come  home  and  counselled  by 
Brother  Taylor  to  come  home  to  Utah.  After  starting  on  the 
journey  we  stopped  in  Liverpool  for  a  month  on  account  of 
sickness.  While  there  my  father,  mother  and  myself  received 
an  invitation  to  attend  a  grand  banquet  given  by  a  very 
wealthy  man  by  the  name  of  Howerd,  in  honor  of  Brother 
John  Taylor,  Franklin  Richards  and  others  of  the  apostles 
who  were  in  attendance.  During  the  banquet  I  was  invited  to 
sing  in  French,  which  I  did  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  my 
father  and  those  present.  We  sailed  from  Liverpool  on  the 
ship  Olumpus  and  my  father  was  called  to  act  as  president 
over  the  saints  on  the  ship.     We  had  one  or  two  very,  very 


32  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

severe  storms.  While  the  outside  people  would  be  screech- 
ing and  hollering  the  saints  would  be  singing  and  giving  praise 
to  the  Almighty,  as  happy  as  larks.  The  Captain  often  won- 
dered what  kind  of  a  people  we  were,  having  so  much  faith  in 
the  gospel.  My  father  was  so  ambitious  he  made  fifty  con- 
verts coming  across  the  sea.  We  landed  alright  in  New  Or- 
leans and  took  a  steamer  to  St.  Louis.  Orson  Pratt  and  his 
wife  and  daughter,  Celestia,  were  traveling  on  the  same 
steamer,  so  that  Celestia  and  I  became  very  good  friends.  It 
was  on  this  voyage  that  I  first  saw  and  tasted  "Johnnie  Cake." 
After  remarking  to  Celestia  that  I  should  first  take  a  piece 
of  that  beautiful  looking  sponge  cake  I  took  it  when  it  was 
passed  and  found  to  my  surpise  that  it  was  what  they  called 
"Johnnie  Cake,"  and  I  never  cared  about  "Johnnie  cake"  since, 
as  I  could  not  eat  it  at  the  time.  We  traveled  to  Council 
Bluffs  where  my  father  started  a  store,  as  the  Saints  would 
not  be  ready  to  start  for  Utah  for  about  a  year,  but  his  health 
failed  after  so  much  hardships  as  he  was  a  very  delicate  man 
and  only  about  thirty-five  years  old  too,  but  he  never  became 
strong  again  and  finally  died  there,  but  before  his  death  he  took 
lots  of  comfort  through  the  kindness  of  Brothers  Orson  Hyde 
and  Benson,  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,  who  came  to  see  him 
often. 

We  then  came  to  Utah,  arrving  in  Salt  Lake  in  1852, 
where  we  lived  for  a  year  and  half,  then  moved  to  the  Old 
Fort.  Oftentimes  we  would  have  trouble  with  the  Indians. 
One  night,  having  received  word  that  they  were  coming  to  kill 
us  all  off,  arrangements  were  made  for  the  women  all  to  stay 
in  one  large  room,  so  some  of  them  took  their  feather  beds 
and  nailed  them  up  against  one  side  of  the  wall  so  the  bullets 
could  not  penetrate  through  and  put  their  children  to  sleep 
there  on  the  floor.  The  Fort  was  surrounded  with  rock  walls 
so  that  no  one  could  get  in  except  through  the  south  gate.  The 
women  had  for  their  defense,  pitchforks,  hoes,  brooms  and 
shovels,  the  men  having  all  the  guns.  One  family  lived  next 
door  to  us  by  the  name  of  Peters  had  brought  with  them  from 
the  old  country  two  cannisters,  one  labeled  tea  and  the  other 
coffee,  and  the  brothers  Peters  had  taken  one  to  put  his  gun- 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  33 

powder  in  and  his  wife  had  put  black  pepper  in  the  other,  as 
they  had  no  tea  and  coffee  in  those  days,  and  those  being 
both  together  Brother  Peters  got  the  black  pepper  to  load  his 
gun  with,  which  caused  some  merriment.  But  like  all  other  mir- 
acles the  Lord  protected  us  and  we  came  out  victorious  without 
any  fighting.  Many  a  time  I  have  heard  the  wolves  howl  all 
night  right  up  against  the  door,  which  made  us  feel  rather 
chilly.  Often  the  Indians  came  in  droves,  several  hundred 
together  at  times  during  the  day.  We  obeyed  President 
Young's  counsel  and  tried  not  to  quarrel  with  them  and  gave 
them  flour  and  whatever  else  we  could  spare  in  exchange  for 
robes,  when  they  would  leave  peaceably. 

Shortly  after  this  I  was  married  to  my  husband,  Ricy 
Jones,  and  we  moved  down  to  Salt  Lake  City,  where  we  lived 
very  comfortable  and  happy  for  about  a  year  and  a  half,  but 
times  were  very  hard,  we  suffered  considerably  for  something 
to  eat.  Finally  my  husband  became  dissatisfied  and  wanted  to 
go  to  California  to  make  a  raise,  but  I  had  heard  President 
Young  preach  to  the  Saints  telling  them  that  if  any  of  them  left 
without  counsel  they  were  liable  to  apostatize  and  as  we  had 
come  here  for  the  Gospel's  sake  I  refused  to  go  with  my  hus- 
band, so  he  sold  the  house  over  my  head  and  I  was  left  penni- 
less. It  w^as  a  very  severe  trial  on  me  because  I  was  expecting 
to  become  a  mother  and  was  of  course  left  destitute.  I  went  to 
Brigham,  which  had  been  built  up  into  a  little  town  since  we 
lived  at  the  Old  Fort,  and  lived  with  my  mother.  About  this 
time  I  received  a  letter  from  my  uncle,  Lewis  Lewis,  who  was 
still  living  in  Wales,  he  had  heard  of  my  circumstances  through 
some  apostate  who  had  gone  back  there  and  told  him  about  me, 
so  he  wrote  telling  me  that  if  I  would  come  back  and  live  with 
him,  having  no  children  of  his  own,  he  would  make  me  heir  to 
all  his  property,  but  of  course  I  would  have  had  to  forsake  my 
religion  to  do  so  and  while  this  was  a  great  temptation  to  me 
as  I  knew  that  all  my  poverty  would  be  at  an  end  I  was  firm 
in  staying  with  my  religion  and  so  did  not  go.  When  my  hus- 
band heard  that  I  had  become  a  mother  and  had  a  son  he  came 
back,  shortly  after  this  we  decided  to  move  to  Wellsville, 
Cache  Valley,  and  take  up  a  large  farm.  We  built  a  cozy  little 
house  on  Main  street  and  I  started  a  millinery  shop  and  small 


34  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

store,  the  first  that  was  ever  started  in  that  town.  I  made  a  per- 
fect success  of  it  for  several  years.  About  that  time  we  organ- 
ized the  Relief  Society,  and  they  called  on  me  to  act  as  secre- 
tary and  treasurer,  which  I  did  to  the  best  of  my  ability;  work- 
ers were  very  scarce  at  that  time.  I  remember  one  day  going  to 
very  scarce  at  that  time.  I  remember  one  day  going  to 
Logan  to  Relief  Society  conference,  about  seven  miles  from 
Wellsville,  the  place  we  were  living.  Of  course  we  were  very 
weak  at  that  time,  the  organizations  being  new,  and  I  remem- 
ber Sister  Maughn,  president  of  the  Relief  Society  at  that  time, 
once  sat  down  and  cried  like  a  child  because  she  was  afraid 
she  would  not  be  able  to  fill  the  position  properly,  as  she  was 
not  used  to  talking  in  public.  Inside  of  a  year,  however,  the 
women  had  becomle  so  strong  and  capable  that  they  could  get 
up  and  preach  lengthy  sermons  so  that  some  of  the  men,  who 
thought  women  had  enough  to  do  to  attend  to  their  household 
duties,  called  them  "Female  Roosters."  After  living  in  Wells- 
ville thirteen  years  I  moved  back  to  Brigham.  Lorenzo  Snow, 
one  of  the  twelve  apostles,  called  me  to  supervise  the  Co-opera- 
tive Millinery  shop  here.  I  had  eight  girls  under  me.  We 
first  had  to  gather  the  straws  and  split  them,  soak  them  and 
braid  them,  then  sew  them  into  any  shape  we  wanted.  We 
made  our  own  flowers  and  our  own  straw  trimming.  But  later 
on  as  the  business  increased  they  employed  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  girls.  The  millinery  shop  was  only  one  of  the  branches 
of  industries  comprising  this  Co-operative  organization. 
Brother  Snow  gives  a  description  of  it  in  his  biography,  as 
follows — ''The  association  comprised  of  between  thirty  and 
forty  industrial  branches,  a  superintendent  over  each,  who  is 
responsible  to  the  general  superintendent  for  its  proper  and 
judicious  management.  The  accounts  of  each  department  were 
kept  separate  and  distinct,  stock  taken  annually,  separate 
statements  and  balance  sheets  made  out  and  kept  by  the  secre- 
tary of  the  association  so  that  the  gain  or  loss  of  each  may  be 
ascertained  and  known  at  the  end  of  the  year  or  oftener  if  re- 
quired. At  the  close  of  the  year  a  balance  sheet  is  made  from 
the  several  statements  giving  a  perfect  exhibit  of  the  business. 
From  this  exhibit  a  dividend  from  the  investments  of  the  capi- 
tal stock  was  declared.    The  profit  or  loss  of  each  department 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  35 

of  course  was  shared  equally  by  the  stockholders.  The  em- 
ployees in  the  various  departments  were  paid  weekly  at  the 
secretary's  office."     (Refer  to  Lorenzo  Snow's  biography). 

Brother  Snow  organized  a  theatre  and  I  was  one  of  the 
first  women  to  take  part  in  it,  being  the  very  first  one  chosen. 
Later  on  they  divided  Brigham  City  into  four  wards;  I  was 
then  ordained  by  Eliza  R.  Snow  to  be  secretary  for  the  Second 
ward  which  position  I  filled  until  I  was  called  by  Brother  Snow 
again  to  fill  a  mission  on  the  Sandwich  Islands.  When  I  came 
back  from  the  islands  they  established  in  Brigham  a  religion 
class  for  young  ladies,  ranging  from  fourteen  to  thirty  years  old 
and  they  called  me  to  preside  over  it.  Sister  Anderson  and 
Sister  Figgins  were  my  counselors,  Maud  Jenson  was  the  sec- 
retary. I  had  about  forty  young  ladies  who  were  qualifying 
themselves  for  missions.  We  kept  this  up  for  about  two  years 
and  then  they  established  the  Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Improve- 
ment Association.  Later  on  they  organized  a  parents  class 
in  Brigham  and  I  was  called  as  one  of  three  supervisors,  which 
position  I  filled  for  many  years.  Later  in  my  declining  years  I 
was  called  for  teacher  again,  but  my  health  failed  so  that  I 
could  not  keep  it  up. 

Soon  after  we  came  from  Cache  Valley,  Johnston's  army 
threatened  to  come  and  kill  us  all  off.  The  president,  Martin 
Van  Buren,  had  sent  them  to  destroy  us,  as  he  had  been  mis- 
informed and  thought  we  were  disloyal  to  the  government  and 
had  burned  records  belonging  to  the  United  States.  They  wrote 
threatening  letters  saying  they  would  kill  us  all,  etc.  On  their 
way  there  came  a  big  snow  storm  which  snowed  them  all  in  and 
they  almost  starved,  having  to  eat  their  mules  so  that  they 
were  humbled  and  very  glad  to  come  in  with  us  in  the  spring 
when  the  weather  got  so  they  could.  We  acknowledged  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  in  humbling  their  spirits  and  allowing  them 
to  understand  how  mistaken  they  had  been  regarding  our 
disloyalty. 


36  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

LEAVES  FROM  MY  JOURNAL. 

Brother  Ballantyne  once  related  to  me  an  experience 
which  he  had,  showing  some  of  the  miracles  performed  in 
those  days  and  which  was  later  published  in  the  Juvenile,  as 
follows : 

A  PROMISE  FULFILLED. 

REMARKABLE  INCIDENT  IN  THE  LIFE  OF 
MISSIONARIES  IN  INDIA. 

Written  by  the  Late  Elder  Richard  Ballantyne. 

On  the  twenty-fourth  of  July,  1853,  thirteen  elders  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  arrived  in  Cal- 
cutta, the  capital  of  Hindoostan,  to  be  from  thence  distributed 
to  other  parts  of  Asia.  At  a  conference  of  the  elders  I  was 
appointed,  with  Elders  Robert  Owen  and  Robert  Skelton, 
to  labor  in  Madras,  and  other  parts  of  Southern  India.  Some 
were  sent  to  Bombay ;  some  up  the  Ganges  to  the  north ;  some 
to  Siam ;  and  others  with  Elder  N.  V.  Jones,  the  president  of 
the  mission,  were  to  remain  in  Calcutta. 

On  our  arrival,  we  found  a  branch  of  the  Church,  num- 
bering eleven  souls,  of  whom  two  or  three  were  elders.  One 
of  the  main  purposes  for  which  we  were  sent  out,  aside  from 
preaching  the  gospel,  was  to  sustain  the  doctrine  of  plural 
marriage,  which  had  for  the  first  time  in  the  previous  Septem- 
ber, been  publicly  published  as  a  doctrine  of  the  Church.  As 
was  expected  almost  everywhere,  this  doctrine  aroused  a 
most  bitter  sentiment  against  the  Church,  and  caused  it  to 
be  denounced  as  an  institution  created  to  foster  vice  and 
minister  to  the  basest  passions  of  mankind.  On  the  other 
hand  we  were  sent  to  proclaim  it  as  a  pure  principle,  designed 
to  purify  the  relation  of  the  sexes  and  commanded  of  God 
to  elevate  mankind  here  and  to  secure  for  them  in  the  eternal 
worlds  a  never-ending  enlargement  of  posterity,  with  glory, 
honor,  and  exaltation  throughout  the  eternities  to  come.  But 
notwithstanding  our  efforts  the  hatred  and  persecution  in- 
creased and  under  these  circumstances,  few  favors  were  given 
to  the  elders. 

In  about  six  weeks  after  our  arrival  we  learned  from  a 
decision  given  to  me  of  the  city  of  Madras  that  the  time  had 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  37 

come  to  make  arrangements  for  a  voyage  thence.  This  was 
when  the  southwestern  monsoons  were  blowing  violently 
across  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  rendering  a  voyage  to  Madras  ex- 
tremely perilous.  In  consequence  only  two  vessels  could  be 
found  going  thither.  One  was  the  English  mail  steamer  and 
the  other  a  brig  owned  by  Captain  Thomas  Scott.  Captain 
Scott's  objection  was  that  we  were  men  of  bad  reputation 
and  as  two  English  ladies  of  wealth  were  going  with  him 
he  said  it  would  be  an  outrage  on  them  were  he  to  take  us 
into  his  cabin  to  be  their  associates.  However,  this  refusal 
did  not  discourage  us,  for  we  felt  that  go  with  him  we  must ; 
we  therefore  continued  to  visit  him  four  successive  mornings 
thereafter  but  without  avail.  We  finally  asked  him  how 
much  money  he  would  take.  He  said  his  price  was  three 
hundred  and  fifty  rupees,  but  added,  "I  cannot  take  you  at 
any  price." 

Next  morning  on  awaking  early  I  said  to  Brother  Skelton, 
"Let  us  go  down  and  see  the  captain  again  and  let  us  go 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord."  To  this  he  freely  assented.  We 
at  once  arose,  dressed  ourselves  and  having  called  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord  for  help  we,  for  the  sixth  time,  reached 
the  vessel  which  was  anchored  on  the  Hoogley  river.  And 
having  gone  on  deck  the  captain  saluted  us  and  introduced 
us  to  a  parsee  merchant,  who,  with  the  captain  was  engaged 
in  invoicing  boxes  of  merchandise.  At  once  this  merchant 
engaged  us  in  conversation,  asking  us  questions  concerning 
the  Saints.  To  all  his  questions  I  gave  him  satisfactory 
answers;  which  answers  seemed  also  to  satisfy  Captain  Scott. 

Noticing  a  favorable  expression  in  his  countenance,  I 
addressed  him  thus :  "Captain  Scott,  we  want  to  go  with  you 
to  Madras.  We  have  but  little  money  and  of  that  little  we 
need  ten  rupees  to  buy  a  few  needed  articles  for  the  voyage, 
but  we  will  give  you  the  balance  and  promise  you  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  that  you  will  go  safely  if  you  take  us  with 
you." 

These  words  seemed  to  strike  into  the  very  heart  of  the 
captain  and  he  slapped  his  hands  together  and  exclaimed,  "It's 
a  bargain :  I  will  take  you.     Be  ready  in  a  week  from  today." 


38  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

In  the  meantime  I  was  taken  very  sick,  but  at  the 
appointed  time  I  was  carried  in  a  palanquin  on  board  the  ship 
and  immediately  my  health  began  to  improve.  That  afternoon 
we  dropped  down  the  river  about  ten  miles  and  anchored  for 
the  night.  Next  morning  we  again  set  sail  but  having  a 
strong  head  wind  we  made  slow  progress,  having  to  tack 
ship  first  one  way  then  another,  to  catch  the  wind.  However, 
during  the  forenoon  we  reached  a  point  where  many  ships  had 
been  sunk  in  the  quick  sands,  some  of  whose  masts  we  saw 
protruding  above  the  surface  of  the  river.  To  go  further 
there  was  only  a  narrow  channel.  As  we  were  about  to 
enter  this  channel  we  were  overtaken  by  a  large  three-masted 
ship  which  was  coming  down  upon  us  with  all  sails  set.  To 
avoid  a  collision  seemed  impossible  and  to  avoid  it  and  go 
on  the  quick  sands  was  certain  destruction.  The  channel 
seemed  too  narrow  for  both  vessels  and  after  yelling  out  orders 
by  the  captains  of  both  vessels  to  avoid  either  being  sunk. 
Captain  Scott,  now  frantic  with  despair,  looked  to  the  poop 
where  I  was  sitting,  rushed  to  me  and  with  his  clenched  fist 
threatening  my  face,  wildy  exclaimed :  *'You  promised  me  a 
safe  passage  to  Madras !"  "Yes,"  I  promptly  replied,  "and  you 
shall  have  it."  At  the  top  of  his  voice  he  yelled  out,  "Im- 
possible: we  are  sunk."  "Oh,  no,  Captain,"  I  quietly  re- 
sponded, "we  are  not  sunk,  neither  will  we  be." 

At  this  solemn  moment  the  other  large  ship  was  within 
one  hundred  feet  of  us,  under  full  sail,  and  bearing  right  for 
our  broad  side.  But  by  the  miraculous  power  of  God,  as 
soon  as  I  assured  the  captain  we  would  not  be  sunk  the  big 
ship  eased  off  and  passed  by,  within  three  feet,  but  doing  us 
no  harm. 


LEAVES  FROM  MY  JOURNAL. 

THE  MANIFESTO. 

In  1893,  after  I  returned  home  from  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
we  moved  from  Brigham  to  Salt  Lake  City  to  do  some  temple 
work.  About  that  time  we  had  the  manifesto.  I  remember 
well  my  sister-in-law,  Mrs.  Pollie  Burt,  went  to  meeting  with 
me  during  conference,  where  Brother  George  Q.  Cannon  read 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  39 

the  manifesto.  It  was  a  great  surprise  to  all  of  us,  and  it 
was  heart-rending,  for  we  knew  that  the  cruelty  of  the  law 
demanded  that  we  should  do  away  with  polygamy.  Knowing 
the  sacrifices  we  would  have  to  make  being  separated  from 
each  other,  husbands  and  wives,  my  heart  was  so  full  that 
I  put  my  handkerchief  to  my  eyes  and  started  to  cry.  I  fairly 
sobbed,  and  I  began  to  think  what  a  fool  I  was  making  of 
myself  so  I  took  my  handkerchief  to  one  side  to  see  if  the 
people  were  noticing  me,  when  lo  and  behold  everyone  on  the 
stand  and  down  below  was  crying  as  though  their  hearts  would 
break.  It  was  a  very  sore  trial  for  the  Latter-day  Saints  to 
pass  through. 


SAVED  BY  THE  SEA  GULLS. 

To  speak  about  the  sea  gulls,  our  people  had  planted  their 
crops  and  were  looking  forward  to  a  bounteous  harvest  when 
the  crickets  came  by  the  millions  and  began  devouring  the 
crops.  This  discouraged  the  people  very  much,  as  they  were 
a  thousand  miles  from  civilization  so  they  could  get  no  help, 
so  they  all  turned  out — men,  women  and  children — to  fight 
the  crickets.  They  drove  them  into  the  ditches  and  tried  to 
drown  them,  but  it  was  of  no  avail.  What  had  they  to  do? 
Starvation  stared  them  in  the  face.  They  held  fast  meetings 
and  fasted  and  prayed  to  the  Almighty  for  deliverance,  when 
lo  and  behold,  the  sky  was  darkened  as  flocks  of  thousands 
of  sea  gulls  appeared.  At  first  the  people  feared  that  the  gulls 
had  come  to  finish  the  work  of  the  crickets,  but  the  gulls 
darted  down  upon  the  crickets  to  devour  them.  They  would 
eat  all  the  crickets  they  could  and  then  disgorge  themselves 
and  eat  again  until  the  pests  had  disappeared.  Saved  again 
by  the  power  of  the  Almighty ! 


LEAVES  FROM  MY  JOURNAL. 

When  we  came  across  the  plains  we  had  prairie  fires  to 
contend  with.  We  had  Indians  also  to  trouble  us,  and  they 
would  come  into  our  camps  by  the  hundreds,  but  we  obeyed 
the  counsel  of  Brigham  Young  to  feed  them  and  treat  them 


40  BIOGRAPHY  OF     . 

kindly.  He  told  us  that  we  would  have  no  trouble  with  them 
if  we  did  this.  The  buffalo  used  to  come  in  large  herds, 
thousands  of  them  at  a  time.  It  was  terrible  to. see  them. 
They  would  demolish  everything  that  would  be  in  their  way. 
One  incident  of  this  kind  occurred  in  a  herd.  A  company  of 
six  wagons  of  outsiders  camped  one  evening  on  the  Platte 
river.  A  large  herd  of  thousands  of  buffalo  took  a  stampede 
on  the  plains,  ran  into  the  camp,  and  next  morning  not  a 
vestige  of  the  camp  was  left  except  a  few  wagon  tires  and 
spokes,  some  shreds  of  clothing  and  a  few  bones.  They  had 
been  swept  out  of  existence  by  a  buffalo  stampede.  The  same 
with  the  Indians.  They  would  kill  whole  camps  of  emmigrants, 
burn  their  wagons.  Who  can  say  that  the  Lord  did  not  take 
care  of  his  chosen  people? 

I  was  reading  the  other  day  some  of  the  history  of  the 
Saints  in  Nauvoo.  The  mob  had  threatened  to  kill  our  people 
all  off  if  they  did  not  leave  by  the  next  day.  It  was  very  cold 
weather  and  the  brethren  had  to  make  rafts  to  carry  the  Saints 
across  the  Missouri  river,  but  it  was  impossible  for  them  to 
accomplish  that  much  in  one  night,  so  by  the  next  morning  the 
river  got  frozen  over,  thus  enabling  the  Saints  to  cross  in 
their  wagons  without  further  trouble.  Another  manifestation 
of  the  Almighty. 


LEAVES  FROM  MY  JOURNAL. 

1891. 

Brother  Lorenzo  Snow  came  to  my  house  this  afternoon. 
He  was  the  president  of  the  stake  and  one  of  the  twelve 
apostles.  He  was  quite  jolly  and  he  said,  "Sister  Ann,  I  have 
a  mission  for  you  to  perform.  I  want  you  to  go  to  the  Sand- 
wich Islands  for  five  years."  For  you  must  know  that  my 
husband  had  been  there  for  several  years  already  on  a  mission. 
He  had  to  stay  to  escape  persecution  for  polygamy.  Now, 
he  had  been  writing  me  for  some  time  to  go  there,  but  I 
had  lost  my  daughter  some  time  before  that  and  she  had 
left  two  children  for  me  to  raise,  one  two  years  old  and  one 
nine  months  old.  Shortly  after  this  my  son  buried  his  wife 
who  left  a  child  nine  months  old,  so  you  see  with  my  family 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  41 

I  had  another  young-  family  to  raise.  Of  course  when  my 
husband  wrote  for  me  to  go  there  I  asked  the  grandmothers 
of  the  children  if  they  would  take  the  children,  but  they  both 
refused.  So  I  told  Brother  Snow  that  I  thought  it  was  my  duty 
to  take  care  of  these  children  and  he  told  me  he  would  counsel 
with  President  Woodruff  to  see  if  I  could  take  them  with  me. 

Finally,  a  short  time  after  that  I  got  word  I  was  to  go 
and  I  could  take  the  children  with  me.  There  were  eleven 
missionaries  went  the  same  time  I  did,  and  the  president  was 
Captain  Brown  from  Ogden.  We  2i\\  stayed  in  the  same  hotel 
in  San  Francisco.  I  wanted  to  take  a  walk  and  look  around 
San  Francisco  and  take  the  three  children  with  me.  I  took 
the  precaution  to  provide  myself,  on  a  card,  with  the  name 
of  this  hotel.  We  roamed  around  looking  at  the  sights  until 
it  was  nearly  dusk,  thinking  sure  I  was  safe,  but  coming  back 
I  lost  my  way.  I  met  a  fine  dressed  man  and  I  inquired  of 
him  if  he  could  show  me  where  this  hotel  was,  which  was  a 
very  unwise  thing  in  me  to  do.  He  told  me  "Certainly, 
madam,"  and  he  took  hold  of  the  youngest  child's  hand  to 
take  us  on  the  street  car,  saying  it  was  about  nine  blocks 
from  there.  "I  will  take  you  to  the  very  place,"  said  he. 
My  suspicions  were  aroused  at  once.  I  told  him,  "I  think  not. 
The  hotel  is  somewhere  around  here,"  and  taking  the  children, 
I  left  him  and  went  into  a  millinery  shop  to  inquire  the  way. 
They  told  me  that  the  hotel  was  the  very  next  door.  When 
I  reached  my  destination  I  was  very  thankful  to  be  safe  in 
the  hotel  and  felt  that  I  had  had  a  narrow  escape. 

Two  days  later  we  set  sail  for  Honolulu  on  the  steamship 
"Monohowohe."  I  was  sick  from  the  time  I  got  aboard.  The 
smell  of  the  vessel  made  me  deathly  sick  and  I  couldn't  eat 
a  thing.  On  the  third  day  we  had  a  terrible  storm.  Oh,  it 
was  a  fright,  and  they  had  to  pump  water  from  the  ship  all 
night  long.  The  boiler  burst  and  finally  they  thought  sure 
we  were  going  under,  so  they  brought  the  life-belts  around 
and  put  them  on  our  pillows.  I  began  to  think  that  I  had 
brought  these  three  children  with  me  and  that  if  the  ship 
were  to  sink  then  the  children  would  be  lost  and  that  worried 
me  terribly.  So  I  thought,  "I  know  that  I  shall  not  be  lost 
because  I  had  a  blessing  before  I  left  that  I  should  return  home 


42  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

safe."  So  I  got  the  children  up  from  their  beds  and  tried  to 
tie  us  all  together  in  my  life  belt  so  we  could  not  get  separated, 
but  it  could  not  be  done.  I  became  desperate  and  I  thought 
I  would  go  to  the  eleven  missionaries.  I  left  the  children  in 
bed  and  went,  ankle-deep  in  water,  to  find  the  missionaries. 
But  the  lunging  of  the  vessel  made  it  very  difficult  and  I  was 
tossed  from  one  side  to  another.  Finally  I  reached  my  destina- 
tion and  I  asked  the  brethren  if  they  would  come  and  take 
charge  of  the  children  for  me  as  I  was  afraid  we  were  going 
to  sink.  I  told  them  I  thought  that  if  the  children  were  with 
them  they  would  be  safer  than  if  with  me.  They  said  yes,  that 
they  would  go  and  get  the  children.  All  of  a  sudden  the  ship 
gave  such  a  lurch  we  thought  sure  we  were  going  down.  The 
water  came  all  over  the  ship  with  a  heavy  sea,  just  like  a 
mountain.  Then  I  got  brave ;  all  of  a  sudden  I  got  strength, 
and  I  said  to  the  eleven  missionaries,  "Brethren,  where  is  your 
faith?  Get  up  and  command  this  storm  to  cease."  And  said 
they,  "Well,  we  are  praying  all  night  long,  Sister  Burt,"  and 
they  came  with  me  then  to  get  the  children  to  take  into  their 
berths.  But  the  second  mate  came  and  said  that  was  not 
allowed,  that  the  children  would  have  to  go  back  to  their  own 
berths  that  were  assigned  them.'  After  we  got  into  bed  I 
heard  one  of  the  sailors  holler  out  to  another  sailor:  "By 
Jove,  boys,  we  are  safe !  There  are  eleven  or  twelve  Mormon 
missionaries  on  this  ship  and  I  have  heard  it  reported  that 
there  never  was  a  ship  lost  with  Mormon  missionaries  on, 
so  I  think  we  are  safe."  Oh,  how  my  heart  bounded  with  joy 
to  think  that  a  man  of  the  world  should  say  this  of  us. 

In  a  short  time  the  storm  subsided,  and  we  reached  our 
destination  safe.  The  ship  had  to  stay  in  Honolulu  for  repairs 
on  account  of  the  havoc  of  the  storm. 

When  we  got  to  Honolulu  it  was  a  happy  meeting  as  my 
husband  was  there  to  meet  me  and  he  took  us  to  the  Mission 
house  where  the  natives  were  already  there  with  their  banjos 
to  serenade  us.  I  was  pale  and  delicate  looking  on  account 
of  the  hardships  I  had  had,  and,  says  the  president  of  the 
Mission,  Brother  Pack  his  name  was,  said  he  to  my  husband: 
"Your  wife  will  never  be  able  to  take  her  part  in  this  mission." 
Now,  there  were  seven  of  us  lady  missionaries  there  and  we 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  43 

each  were  supposed  to  cook  for  twenty  menfolks  in  our  turns. 
But  in  two  weeks  from  then  I  was  up  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  ready  to  take  my  part  with  the  native  girls.  I  did 
all  the  cooking  and  they  did  the  dishwashing  and  other  work. 
I  got  along  equally  as  well  as  the  other  sisters  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  Then  I  was  taken  very  poorly  and  lost  my  health. 
I  think  I  worked  too  hard  while  I  was  there.  At  the  end 
of  two  years,  the  president  of  the  mission  counseled  my 
husband  to  let  me  go  home,  that  the  change  would  do  me 
good  and  that  I  had  better  go  home.  The  morning  before  we 
left,  my  husband  called  me  and  the  children  into  a  room  and 
told  me  he  was  going  to  give  me  a  blessing  before  I  left  for 
home.  Now  he  laid  his  hands  on  my  head  and  told  me  that 
I  should  not  be  sick  one  minute  from  the  time  I  left  there 
until  I  arrived  safe  in  Utah,  and  that  the  waves  of  the  sea 
should  be  calm  for  my  sake.  Now,  in  my  mind  I  doubted  this 
blessing  for  I  had  already  crossed  the  sea  four  times  and  was 
deathly  sick  every  time  I  went  near  the  ship.  But,  lo  and 
behold,  I  got  on  the  ship  and  I  was  not  sick  one  minute  from 
the  time  I  left  the  islands  until  I  arrived  in  Utah. 

One  day  the  children  were  sitting  on  the  deck,  and  they 
heard  some  people,  who  had  traveled  between  Honolulu  and 
San  Francisco  for  twenty  years,  say  that  they  had  never  seen 
the  sea  so  calm  and  beautiful  as  it  was  on  that  voyage.  The 
children  came  down  and  told  me,  "Ma,  do  you  remember  the 
blessing  that  Brother  Burt  gave  you?  Don't  you  think  it 
has  been  literally  fulfilled?"  I  told  them,  "Yes,  indeed.  I 
think  so,  too." 

I  went  home  and  reported  myself  to  Brother  Snow  and 
he  thought  we  ought  to  send  one  of  the  other  women  out 
there  to  stay  with  Brother  Burt  and  asked  me  which  I  thought 
was  the  best  one  to  send.  I  told  him  I  thought  that  Aunt 
Lizzie  was  the  best  because  she  was  the  youngest  and  could 
stand  the  journey  the  best,  so  he  asked  me  if  I  would  go 
down  there  in  the  buggy  and  bring  her  up  so  that  he  could 
have  a  talk  with  her.  I  did  so  and  he  gave  her  a  three-years' 
mission  so  that  the  mission  was  filled  with  both  of  us. 

Some  time  after  that,  a  year  or  two  after,  I  went  down 
to  conference  and  Brother  Captain  Brown,  the  man  that  was 


44  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

president  over  the  eleven  missionaries,  came  to  me  on  the 
train  and  said,  "Aren't  you  the  little  woman  who  traveled  to 
Honolulu  with  us?"  And  he  said  he  could  never  forget  how 
I  came  to  them  that  night  and  told  the  brethren  that  they 
should  get  up  in  faith  and  command  the  storm  to  cease.  I 
told  him  I  was  the  one  and  we  had  quite  a  laugh  over  it. 

Some  time  later  I  moved  down  to  Salt  Lake  City  with 
my  family  so  that  I  could  do  some  temple  work.  I  had  heavy 
rent  to  pay  and  a  large  family  to  keep,  so  I  took  in  boarders  to 
help  me  out,  at  five  dollars  per  week.  I  went  occasionally 
to  the  temple  to  do  work  for  my  ancestors.  It  was  about  the 
time  of  the  dedication  of  the  temple  in  Salt  Lake,  when  all 
were  permitted  to  go  through  the  temple  and  it  was  visited 
by  both  Jew  and  Gentile.  Of  course  after  it  was  dedicated 
no  one  could  go  through  excepting  those  who  could  get  good 
recommends  from  their  bishops. 

The  people  of  each  town  took  their  turn  going  to  the 
dedication.  My  turn  was  with  the  Brigham  City  people  and 
it  did  not  come  until  two  weeks  after  the  dedication.  But 
the  night  of  the  dedication  it  happened  that  I  was  in  terrible 
trouble  on  account  of  one  of  my  sons.  I  went  to  bed  crying 
as  though  my.  heart  would  break  and  finally  went  to  sleep, 
when  lo  and  behold,  as  in  a  vision  I  saw  President  Brigham 
Young,  who  had  died  long  before,  and  Ezra  T.  Benson,  one 
of  the  twelve  apostles.  They  came  to  me  and  blessed  me  and 
comforted  me  all  they  could,  in  my  affliction  until  I  felt 
perfectly  happy.  The  next  morning  I  got  up  early  and  got 
breakfast  for  the  family.  I  told  all  my  children  at  the  break- 
fast table  what  had  happened  and  mentioned  President  Young 
and  Ezra  T.  Benson's  names  and  told  them  that  they  had 
come  and  blessed  me  and  comforted  me  last  night.  Now,  re- 
member that  was  the  very  night  of  the  dedication  of  the  Salt 
Lake  temple. 

Of  course  the  children  had  forgotten  two  weeks  later  what 
I  had  told  them  but  I  had  not,  and  when  we  went  into  the  tem- 
ple we  sat  in  a  row  on  a  seat — myself  and  family,  and  the  first 
one  that  got  up  to  speak  was  John  W.  Taylor.  I  saw  a  circle  of 
light  around  his  head  and  I  turned  to  my  daughter,  who  sat 
next  to  me,  and  asked  if  she  could  see  it.     She  said  no.  she 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  45 

could  not  see  anything,  and  none  of  them  seemed  to  see  it 
but  myself.  Then  he  told  the  congregation  that  two  weeks 
before  then,  at  the  night  of  the  dedication  of  the  temple, 
Brigham  Young  and  Brother  Ezra  T.  Benson,  the  very  men 
that  I  had  mentioned  to  my  family,  had  come  to  the  temple 
that  night  in  their  resurrected  bodies  and  told  the  authorities 
of  the  Church  that  the  Lord  had  accepted  the  temple  off  the 
hands  of  the  peoplie  and  that  the  people's  sins  were  forgiven 
and  for  them  to  turn  a  new  leaf  and  live  better  lives.  Now 
I  naturally  got  excited  and  turned  around  to  my  children,  say- 
ing, "Now,  children,  do  you  remember  what  I  told  you  that 
morning  at  breakfast  about  those  very  same  men  coming  to 
visit  me  in  a  vision  that  night,  who  came  to  the  temple  as  he 
says?"  They  told  me  that  they  remembered  but  for  me  to 
be  calm  and  not  get  so  excited  over  it.  But  I  could  not  help 
it  for  it  was  such  a  wonderful  testimony  to  me.  You  may 
imagine  my  feelings  when  these  very  men  had  come  and 
visited  me  and  blessed  me  the  very  same  night  that  they 
came  to  the  temple.  I  felt  as  though  I  could  shout  "Hosanna ! 
Hosanna,  to  God  and  the  Lamb !" 

Now,  I  will  give  3^ou  children  some  of  the  manifestations 
they  had  here  in  Utah  in  the  Manti  temple.  It  was  dedicated 
in  1888.  The  prayer  was  offered  by  Lorenzo  Snow  of  the 
counsel  of  the  twelve.  The  addresses  were  delivered  by  the 
patriarch  of  the  church  and  by  some  of  the  counsel  of  the 
twelve  apostles  and  some  other  prominent  men  in  the  priest- 
hood. On  the  first  day  the  services  lasted  five  hours,  and 
1700  people  attended.  Many  of  them  testified  to  remarkable 
manifestations  of  divine  power  which  they  experienced  on 
this  grand  occasion.  On  the  first  day,  just  after  Professor 
Smythe  had  finished  conducting  the  singing,  a  number  of  the 
Saints  in  the  body  of  the  hall,  and  some  of  the  brethren  in 
the  west  stand,  heard  most  heavenly  voices  up  above  their 
heads.  It  sounded  behind  and  above  them  and  many  of  them 
turned  their  heads  in  that  direction,  wondering  if  there  was 
another  choir  in  some  other  part  of  the  building.  I  heard 
Brother  Snow  himself  say  that  he  heard  it  just  as  plainly 
as  anything,  but  there  were  some  who  did  not  have  the 
privilege  of  hearing  it.  It  was  the  angels'  choir  that  they  heard. 


46  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Some  of  the  Saints  also  saw  the  spirits  of  President  Young 
and  J.  M.  Grant,  one  of  the  twelve,  and  others,  in  the  temple ; 
and  the  heads  of  the  speakers  were  surrounded  by  halos  of 
heavenly  light  during  their  visitation  to  the  temple.  Many 
shed  tears  of  joy  while  listening  to  the  testimony  of  the  saints 
of  God. 

I  wish  you  children  would  investigate  for  yourselves  and 
find  out  what  great  manifestations  happened  in  the  Kirkland 
temple  when  Jesus  Christ  appeared  in  the  temple  to  his  people, 
and  Moses  appeared  and  delivered  the  keys  of  the  gathering 
of  Israel,  and  Elijah  appeared  and  delivered  the  keys  of 
turning  the  hearts  of  the  children  to  the  fathers  and  the  hearts 
of  the  fathers  to  the  children  before  that  great  and  terrible 
day  of  the  Lord. 

Now,  there  is  no  doubt,  my  children,  but  what  this  is  the 
church  of  God  for  he  has  taken  care  of  his  children  all  along. 
When  they  first  came  to  Utah  a  man  by  the  name  of  Bridger, 
who  had  lived  on  Green  river,  told  them  that  they  would  never 
be  able  to  raise  anything  if  they  settled  here  in  Utah.  In 
fact  he  told  them  that  he  would  give  them  one  hundred 
dollars  for  the  first  ear  of  corn  that  was  raised  here,  for  he 
said  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  do  so.  They  had  the  frost 
to  contend  with  and  only  very  small  streams  of  water.  How 
is  it  now?  The  desert  has  been  made  to  blossom  like  the  rose, 
and  plenty  of  water  for  all. 

I  was  reading,  the  other  day,  about  a  small  company 
that  went  (Jown  into  Southern  Utah  the  first  few  years  that 
they  came  and  they  stopped  to  take  lunch  at  a  certain  place 
where  there  was  a  spring,  but  the  water  was  so  scarce  from 
this  spring  that  it  took  one  man  sitting  by  the  spring  with  a 
spoon  and  a  tin  cup  dipping  the  water  up  in  order  to  get  some 
to  drink.  In  three  or  four  years  after  that  one  of  these  men 
went  down  there  and  found  out  that  this  very  spring  supplied 
six  families  with  all  the  water  they  wanted.  Isn't  that  another 
manifestation  that  the  Lord  takes  care  of  his  people? 

Now  I  am  growing  old  and  do  not  expect  to  be  here  much 
longer.  My  heart  goes  out  to  you,  my  children,  and  I  wish 
that  you  live  upright  and  honorable  lives.  But  if  you  take  the 
downward  course,  if  you  have  fallen  from  the  high  station  in 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  47 

life,  it  is  your  own  fault  in  permitting  the  double  standard 
of  morality,  thus  weakening  the  discrimination  and  determina- 
tion. The  Lord  has  given  us  our  own  free  agency  to  either 
live  good  lives  or  take  the  downward  course  which  surely 
leaves  us  weak  and  fragile  in  character  and  in  fact  there  is 
no  true  happiness  in  the  heart  of  such  a  person.  The  happiest 
people  are  the  ones  who  take  an  upright  course  and  aim  to 
keep  themselves  clean  and  spotless  before  the  Lord  so  that 
when  they  get  behind  the  veil  they  will  feel  that  they  have  a 
conscience  void  of  offense  before  God  and  man. 

"Know  this,  that  every  soul  is  free 
To  choose  his  life  and  what  he'll  be; 
For  this  eternal  truth  is  given, 
That  God  will  force  no  man  to  heaven." 


One  day  Joseph  read  in  the  first  chapter  of  James  as 
follows : 

"If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth 
to  all  men  liberally,  and  upbraineth  not ;  and  it  shall  be  given 
him." 

Using  Joseph's  own  words,  he  said : 

"Never  did  any  passage  of  scripture  come  with  more 
power  to  the  heart  of  man,  than  this  did  at  this  time  to  mine. 
It  seemed  to  enter  with  great  force  into  every  feeling  of  my 
heart.  I  reflected  on  it  again  and  again,  knowing  that  if  any 
person  needed  wisdom  from  God,  I  did.  *  *  *  Unless  I 
could  get  more  wisdom  than  I  then  had,  I  would  never  know ; 
for  the  teachers  of  religion  of  different  sects  understood  the 
same  passage  so  differently  as  to  destroy  all  confidence  in 
settling  the  question  by  an  appeal  to  the  Bible.  At  length 
I  came  to  the  conclusion  that  I  must  either  remain  in  darkness 
and  confusion,  or  else  I  musl  do  as  James  directs,  that  is, 
ask  of  God.  *  *  *  gQ^  in  accordance  with  this,  my  de- 
termination to  ask  of  God,  I  retired  to  the  woods  to  make  the 
attempt.  It  was  on  the  morning  of  a  beautiful  clear  day, 
early  in  the  spring  of  1820.  It  was  the  first  time  in  my  life 
that  I  made  such  an  attempt;  for  amidst  all  my  anxieties  I  had 
never  as  yet  made  the  attempt  to  pray  vocally.  After  I  had 
retired  to  the  place  where  I  had  previously  designed  to  go, 


48  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

having  looked  around  me,  and  finding  myself  alone,  I  kneeled 
down  and  began  to  offer  up  the  desires  of  my  heart  to  God. 
I  had  scarcely  done  so,  when  immediately  I  was  seized  upon 
by  some  power  which  entirely  overcame  me,  and  had  such 
astonishing  influence  over  m^e,  and  bound  my  tongue  so  that 
I  could  not  speak.  Thick  darkness  gathered  around  me,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  for  a  time  as  if  I  was  doomed  to  sudden 
destruction.  But  exerting  all  my  powers  to  call  upon  God, 
to  deliver  me  out  of  the  power  of  this  enemy  which  had  seized 
upon  me,  and  at  the  very  moment  when  I  was  ready  to  sink 
into  despair,  and  abandon  myself  to  destruction — not  to  an 
imaginary  ruin,  but  to  the  power  of  some  actual  being  from 
the  unseen  world,  who  had  such  a  marvelous  power  as  I  had 
never  before  felt  in  any  being — just  at  this  moment  of  great 
alarm  I  saw  a  pillar  of  light  exactly  over  my  head,  above  the 
brightness  of  the  sun;  which  descended  gradually  until  it 
fell  upon  me.  It  no  sooner  appeared  than  I  felt  myself  de- 
livered from  the  enemy  which  held  me  bound.  When  the  light 
rested  upon  me  I  saw  two  personages,  whose  brightness  and 
glory  defy  all  description,  standing  above  me  in  the  air.  One 
of  them  spoke  unto  me,  called  me  by  name,  and  said,  pointing 
to  the  other,   'This  is  my  beloved  son,  hear  him !' 

'*My  object  in  going  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  was  to  know 
which  of  all  the  sects  was  right,  that  I  might  know  which  to 
join.  No  sooner,  therefore,  did  I  get  possession  of  myself, 
so  as  to  be  able  to  speak  than  I  asked  the  personages  who 
stood  above  me  in  the  light,  which  of  all  the  sects  was  right, 
for  at  this  time  it  had  never  entered  into  my  heart  that  all 
were  wrong — and  which  I  should  joint.  I  was  answered  that 
I  should  join  none  of  them,  for  they  were  all  wrong;  and 
the  personage  who  addressed  me  said  that  all  the  creeds  were 
an  abomination  in  his  sight,  'i'  *  *  *They  teach  for  doc- 
trine the  commandments  of  men,  having  a  form  of  godliness, 
but  they  deny  the  power  thereof.'  He  again  forbade  me  to 
join  any  of  them ;  and  many  other  things  did  he  say  unto  me 
which  I  do  not  write  at  this  time. 

"Some  time  afterwards  the  vision  was  made  known  to  a 
Methodist  preacher,  who  treated  it  with  contempt,  saying  it 
was  all  from  the  devil ;  that  there  was  no  such  thing  as  visions 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  49 

or  revelation  in  these  days;  that  all  such  things  had  ceased 
with  the  Apostles,  and  that  there  never  v^ould  be  any  more 
of  them." 

The  ministers  and  others  persecuted  him,  v^hich  caused 
him  deep  sorrow,  although  an  obscure  boy,  and  under  the 
necessity  of  obtaining  a  scanty  maintenance  by  his  daily  labor. 
But,  strange  to  say,  he  became  very  prominent  and  conspicu- 
ous, and  evil  was  spoken  of  him  continually.  Nevertheless, 
he  had  seen  a  vision,  and,  like  Paul  before  King  Agrippa,  re- 
lated the  account  of  the  vision  he  had  when  he  "saw  a  light 
and  heard  a  voice."  Still  there  were  few  who  believed  him. 
Some  said  he  was  dishonest :  others  said  he  was  mad,  and  he 
(like  Joseph)  was  ridiculed  and  reviled ;  but  all  this  did  not 
destroy  the  reality  of  his  vision.  He  had  seen  a  vision — he 
knew  he  had — and  all  the  persecution  under  heaven  could  not 
make  it  otherwise.    Joseph  Smith  said: 

'T  have  actually  seen  a  vision ;  and  who  am  I  that  I  can 
withstand  God?  or  why  does  the  world  think  to  make  me 
deny  what  I  have  actually  seen?  for  I  had  seen  a  vision.  I 
knew  it.  I  knew  that  God  knew  it;  and  I  could  not  deny  it, 
neither  dare  I  do  it ;  at  least  I  knew  by  so  doing  I  would  offend 
God  and  come  under  condemnation." 

For  over  three  years  Joseph  continued  his  labors  daily 
until  the  21st  of  September,  1823.  After  retiring  to  his  bed 
in  quite  a  serious  mood  he  shortly  betook  himself  to  prayer 
and  supplication  to  Almighty  God  for  a  manifestation  of  his 
standing  before  Him.  While  thus  engaged  he  received  the 
following  vision,  using  his  own  words : 

"While  I  was  thus  in  the  act  of  calling  upon  God,  I  dis- 
covered a  light  appearing  in  the  room,  which  continued  to  in- 
crease until  the  room  was  lighter  than  at  noon-day,  when  a 
personage  appeared  at  my  bed-side ;  he  had  on  a  loose  robe 
of  most  exquisite  whiteness,  *  *  *  his  hands  were  naked, 
and  his  arms  also  a  little  above  the  wrist,  *  *  *  his  head 
and  neck  were  also  bare,  *  *  *  his  whole  person  was 
glorious  beyond  description,  and  his  countenance  truly  like 
lightning.  The  room  was  exceedingly  light,  but  not  so  very 
bright  as  immediately  around  his  person.  When  I  first  looked 
upon  him  I  was  afraid,  but  the  fear  soon  left  me. 


50  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

"He  called  me  by  name,  and  said  unto  me  that  he  was 
a  messenger  sent  from  the  presence  of  God  to  me,  and  that 
his  name  was  Moroni ;  that  God  had  a  work  for  me  to  do  and 
that  my  name  should  be  had  for  good  and  evil  among  all 
nations,  kindreds  and  tongues ;  or  that  it  should  be  both  spoken 
of  good  and  evil  among  all  people.  *  *  *  While  he  was  con- 
versing with  me  about  the  plates,  the  vision  was  opened  to 
my  mind  so  that  I  could  see  the  place  where  the  plates  were 
deposited,  and  that  so  clearly  and  distinctly,  that  I  knew  the 
place  again  where  I  visited  it.  After  this  communication  I 
saw  the  light  in  the  room  begin  to  gather  immediately 
around  the  person  of  him  who  had  been  speaking  to  me,  and 
it  continued  to  do  so  until  the  room  was  again  left  dark  except 
just  around  him,  when  instantly  I  saw,  as  it  were,  a  conduit 
open  right  into  heaven,  and  he  ascended  up  till  he  entered, 
disappeared,  and  the  room  was  left  as  it  had  been  before  this 
heavenly  light  made  its  appearance." 

This  vision  was  repeated  three  times  during  the  night, 
and  he  each  time  instructed  him  of  great  events,  such  as 
famine,  war,  pestilence  and  greivous  judgments,  which  were 
to  come  in  this  generation.  He  also  reminded  him  that  his 
name  should  be  known  for  good  and  evil  and  that  wicked  men 
would  seek  to  destroy  him,  which  was  literally  fulfilled. 

In  1517,  Mexico,  then  unknown  to  the  world  though  teem- 
ing with  millions  of  Laminites,  was  discovered  by  Cortez : 
and  the  gold  plates  that  Joseph  Smith  received  contain  their 
history  which  I  advise  all  men  to  read. 

Furthermore,  the  angel  said  that  the  fulness  of  the  ever- 
lasting gospel  was  contained  in  the  record  that  was  about  to 
be  delivered  to  him  which  was  the  same  as  that  taught  by 
the  Savior  to  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem. 

Thus  comes  unto  us  knowledge  unveiling  the  mystery 
surrounding  the  American  Indians  which  has  puzzled  the  most 
profound  historians  of  our  age  to  explain.  For  all  this  useful 
knowledge  we  are  indebted  to  God,  the  giver  of  all  good. 

Although  the  Prophet  was  manifestly  unlearned  at  this 
time,  as  evidenced  by  the  spelling  written  by  him  over  the 
seven  lines  of  Character  as  shown  in  another  place  in  this 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  51 

pamphlet,  he  afterwards  became  proficient  as  a  scholar,  and 
studied  the  classic  languages  at  the  School  of  the  Prophets  in 
Kirkland,  Ohio.  This  school  was  established  by  command  of 
the  Lord  for  the  purpose  of  educating  the  Elders  and  others 
in  the  history  of  nations,  countries  and  people ;  thus  laying 
up  treasures  of  knowledge  and  useful  information. 

The  Porphet,  however,  was  not  dependent  upon  scholastic 
learning,  for  God  revealed  to  him  line  upon  line,  here  a  little 
and  there  a  little,  enabling  him  to  become  efficient  in  organiz- 
ing the  Church  in  its  perfect  order ;  so  much  so,  that  the  learned 
theologians  and  others  of  the  present  day  are  adopting  many 
of  the  doctrines  revealed  to  him. 

The  description  of  the  breast-plate,  as  given  by  the 
mother  of  Joseph,  is  very  interesting.  She  was  favored  with 
handling  it,  but  it  was  covered  with  a  thin  muslin  cloth, 
through  which  she  could  see  the  glittering  gold.  It  was  con- 
cave on  one  side  and  convex  on  the  other.  It  would  extend 
from  the  neck  downwards  as  far  as  the  center  of  the  stomach 
of  a  man  of  extraordinary  size.  Attached  to  it  were  four 
straps  of  the  same  material  for  the  purpose  of  fastening  it  to 
the  breast ;  two  of  these  ran  back  so  as  to  fasten  over  the 
shoulders,  and  the  other  two  were  designed  to  fasten  to  the 
waist.  Mother  Smith  said  the  straps  were  the  width  of  her 
two  fingers,  for  she  measured  them.  They  had  holes  in  the 
ends  for  convenience  in  fastening.  Although  the  Urim  and 
Thummim  and  breast-plate  were  together,  it  was  not  necessary 
for  them  always  to  remain  attached  to  each  other.  Mother 
Lucy  Smith  also  saw  and  handled  the  interpreters,  and  de- 
scribed them  as  "Two  diamonds  set  in  silver  bows,  much 
like  old-fashioned  spectacles,  only  much  larger."  She  also  said 
that  the  breast  plate  was  worth  more  than  $500. 

Soon  after  Joseph  received  the  plates  and  other  articles, 
the  angel  left  him  to  manage  the  work  entrusted  to  him, 
which  responsibility  he  felt  very  seriously.  He  first  concealed 
the  secret  treasure  in  a  secluded  place,  excepting  the  Urim 
and  Thummim,  which  he  kept  with  him.  Soon  after  Joseph 
arrived  at  home  he  explained  to  his  parents  the  necessity  of 
keeping  the  sacred  relics  under  lock  and  key,  and  until  such 


52  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

time  as  proper  precaution  was  taken,  he  had  hidden  them  away 
securely.    Then  said  the  mother: 

"Order  a  chest  at  once/' 

"But  we  have  not  a  dollar  in  the  house  to  pay  for  it," 
said  Joseph. 

"God  will  provide,  my  son,"  said  the  confident  mother, 
so  promise  part  cash  and  part  trade,"  which  was  done,  and 
the  same  day  Mrs.  Wells,  of  Macedon,  gave  Joseph  work  at 
digging  a  well,  promising  cash  for  the  work.  The  mother 
reminded  the  son  of  the  Lord's  providence,  so  soon  fulfilled. 

While  Joseph  was  working  for  Mrs.  Wells,  to  supply 
their  daily  wants  and  to  pay  for  the  chest  in  which  the  plates 
were  to  be  secured,  a  mob  of  twelve  men  headed  by  Mr. 
Willard  Chase,  a  Methodist  class  leader,  and  a  certain  con- 
juror whose  special  business  was  to  divine  the  hiding  place 
of  the  gold  plates,  were  heard  to  say: 

"We  will  have  the  gold  Bible  in  spite  of  all  the  devils  in 
hell." 

Father  Smith,  knowing  that  the  plates  were  secreted  away 
from  home,  felt  deep  anxiety  concerning  their  safety,  and  he 
induced  Emma,  the  Prophet's  wife,  who  was  living  with  the 
family,  to  go  on  horseback  to  give  warning  to  Joseph  of  the 
intentions  of  the  mob.  From  an  impression  Joseph  had,  he 
looked  with  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  which  he  had  with  him, 
after  which,  meeting  his  wife  with  a  smile,  he  informed  her 
that  the  plans  of  the  mob  would  prove  futile;  that  the  plates 
were  safe.  However,  he  returned  home  with  his  wife,  and  in 
the  evening,  after  procuring  the  chest,  Joseph  started  for  the 
plates,  but  as  he  was  returning  home  with  them,  he  was 
waylaid  and  attacked  three  times,  but  he  finally  escaped, 
although  bruised  and  weary,  bringing  the  plates  home  in 
safety. 

Not  long  after  this  first  experience,  the  Prophet  was 
warned  of  a  second  attempt  to  rob  him  of  the  treasure. 

On  this  occasion  he  remembered  the  angel's  charge  in 
regard  to  using  every  precaution,  and  the  promise  that  if 
he  was  prayerful  and  careful  he  should  not  lose  them.  A 
stone  of  the  old-fashioned  hearth  was  removed  and  the  plates 
and  the  breast-plate  were  concealed  in   a  cavity  under  the 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  S3 

hearth.  The  stone  had  just  been  replaced  when  a  large  armed 
mob  came  rushing  uproariously  around  the  house.  The  door 
was  thrown  open  and  several  persons  of  the  family  who  were 
in  the  house,  Joseph  at  their  head,  rushed  out,  when  the  mob 
fled  without  their  booty.  A  third  attempt  to  obtain  the  plates 
was  also  unsuccessfully  made.  This  time  the  treasures  were 
hid  in  some  flax  in  the  loft  of  a  cooper  shop,  and  an  empty 
box  was  hidden  under  the  floor.  It  was  said  that  a  young 
woman,  aided  by  a  peepstone,  pointed  out  the  cooper  shop 
as  the  repository  of  the  "Gold  Bible."  During  the  night  the 
place  was  rummaged,  the  floor  torn  up  and  the  box  broken 
to  pieces.  This  was  another  experience,  but  the  treasures  were 
still  safely  preserved.  It  was  manifested  to  the  Prophet  that 
a  facsimile  of  characters  must  be  copied  and  sent  to  the 
most  learned  professors  of  the  country,  and  that  Martin 
Harris  should  be  the  bearer  of  them.  Before  the  Prophet 
could  accomplish  this  desired  object,  however,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  seek  peace  in  Pennsylvania,  for  the  whole  country 
around  seemed  determined  to  give  Joseph  no  peace  whatever. 
While  the  servant  of  God  was  on  his  way  from  his  father's 
house,  to  seek  a  peaceful  retreat,  he  was  stopped  on  the 
highway  twice  by  a  mob  of  fifty  men,  but  as  the  necessary 
precaution  had  been  observed  by  hiding  the  plates  in  a  barrel 
of  beans,  again  they  were  preserved. 

The  trying  scenes  which  this  young  man  had  to  pass 
through,  having  been  compelled  to  leave  his  home  and  country 
by  reason  of  the  persecutions  heaped  upon  him  in  his  young 
married  life,  were  of  a  heart-rending  character,  besides  the 
labor  of  translating  the  Book  of  Mormon,  and  organizing  the 
Church  which  he  was  instructed  to  do.  It  became  all  the 
more  difficult  to  perform  this  great  work  because  new  revela- 
tions came  so  much  in  contact  with  the  traditions  of  the  differ- 
ent religious  sects  of  the  day,  each  one  claiming  to  be  the 
right  Church.  Just  imagine  this  unlearned  youth,  possessing 
no  funds,  only  as  he  earned  them  by  his  daily  labor,  under 
these  circumstances,  with  increasing  responsibilities  of  family, 
and  home.  Without  God's  aid  it  would  border  on  insanity 
to  entertain  a  faint  hope  of  success  in  so  stupendous  an  under- 
taking.   Had  it  not  been  that  the  Lord  had  promised  to  help 


54  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

him,  his  heart  would  have  failed  him  by  the  way.  But  there 
was  encouragement  found  in  the  words  of  the  prophet  Isaiah, 
29th  chapter,  where  the  prophet,  speaking  of  the  very  time 
and  condition  surrounding  the  youth,  used  these  words : 

''Therefore,  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work 
among  this  people,  even  the  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder ; 
for  the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  ^^  ^  ^  They 
also  that  erred  in  spirit  shall  come  to  understanding,  and  they 
that  murmured  shall  learn  doctrine." 

Tens  of  thousands  have  proven  those  words  to  be  true. 
I  was  personally  favored  with  many  conversations  with  the 
three  witnesses  whom  God  raised  up,  one  of  whom  was 
Martin  Harris,  a  near  neighbor  of  Joseph  Smith.  In  1871, 
while  I  was  emigrating,  Martin  Harris  from  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
during  our  journey  of  over  2000  miles,  he  related  many  little 
incidents  which  occurred  in  those  early  times. 

One  of  the  incidents  that  interested  me  most  was  when, 
on  a  certain  occasion,  Martin's  neighbors  prevailed  upon  him 
to  drink  some  wine  with  them  with  the  evident  intention  of 
getting  him  to  deny  his  testimony  to  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
Martin  drank  but  little,  while  his  neighbors  partook  more 
freely.  When  they  were  in  high  glee  they  asked  him  if  he 
really  believed  that  he  saw  the  angel  of  which  he  had  testified. 

"No,"  said  Martin,  "I  do  not  believe  it." 

*'Now,"  said  they,  "We  know  you  are  an  honest  man." 

"Stop  a  moment,"  said  Martin,  "and  properly  understand 
me.  My  reason  for  not  believing  it  is  that  knowledge  sur- 
passes belief.  Gentlemen,  it  was  in  open  day  when  I  saw  the 
angel  and  I  testify  to  you  that  I  know  my  testimony  is  true. 
I  do  not  believe  it  is  true ;  I  know  it  is." 

The  reader  can  imagine  the  chagrin  that  his  neighbors 
felt  at  this  unexpected  outcome  of  their  efforts  to  entrap  him. 

Martin  told  me  that  knowing  the  indigent  circumstances 
of  the  Prophet,  he  felt  it  was  his  duty  to  aid  in  the  great 
work  by  giving  Joseph  fifty  dollars  to  help  advance  the  Lord's 
work.  This  occurred  just  prior  to  Joseph's  leaving  Manchester 
for  Harmony,  Pennsylvania.  The  Lord  raised  up  a  friend  in 
time  of  need.  The  Lord  remembered  Martin  for  the  timely 
aid,   although    it   was   many    days   afterwards.      Martin    also 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  55 

stated  that  he  had  hired  Joseph  to  work  for  him  on  his  farm 
many  times  and  paid  him  fifty  cents  per  day,  which  was  the 
usual  price  paid  for  hired  help  at  that  time.  He  also  said 
that  he  had  hoed  corn  with  Joseph  often,  and  that  the  latter 
was  a  good  hand  to  work. 

The  Prophet  found  a  short  season  of  rest  with  his  father- 
in-law  at  Harmony,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  succeeded  in 
copying  the  seven  lines  of  Characters  which,  by  a  previous 
arrangement,  were  taken  to  Professor  Anthon,  of  New  York, 
as  explained  in  the  next  chapter. 

Soon  after  Martin  Harris  returned  from  New  York,  he 
commenced  to  write  for  the  Prophet  while  he  translated  from 
the  gold  plates.  Martin  often  related  to  the  writer  the  mode 
of  translation.  He  said  that  the  Prophet  possessed  a  seer 
stone  as  well  as  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  by  means  of  which 
he  could  translate  the  characters.  On  one  occasion  Martin, 
much  liked  the  Prophet's  seer  stone,  and  after  the  Prophet 
had  looked  an  unusual  length  of  time,  he  raised  his  head, 
saying,  ''Martin,  what  in  the  world  is  the  matter?  All  is  dark 
as  Egypt."  Martin  smiled  and  confessed,  Joseph  said,  "Martin, 
why  did  you  do  this?"  Martin  answered  :  ''To  stop  the  mouths 
of  fools,  who  tell  me  you  know  all  this  by  ear,  and  are  de- 
ceiving me." 

Father  Sanford  Porter,  while  living  in  Jackson  County, 
Mo.,  in  1832,  was  desirous  to  know  how  the  Prophet  trans- 
lated the  characters  which  were  engraven  on  the  gold  plates, 
and  made  it  a  matter  of  prayer.  While  the  Prophet  was  re- 
ceiving the  revelation  in  Jackson  County,  Missouri,  Father 
Porter  was  present  in  the  room  and  while  observing  that  the 
Prophet  would  speak  a  sentence  to  be  written  by  a  scribe 
engaged  for  that  purpose,  the  scribe  would  say,  "It  is  written," 
and  if  written  correctly  the  sentence  before  the  Prophet,  would 
disappear  and  another  sentence  would  appear  likewise,  but  if 
not  written  correctly  by  the  scribe  the  sentence  would  remain ; 
and  after  the  necessary  correction  had  been  made  the  sentence 
would  disappear. 

Many  years  ago  Father  Porter  related  to  me  that  it  was 
shown  unto  him,  that  by  the  aid  of  the  Urim  and  Thummim 
the  Prophet  could  see  a  sentence  as  if  in  gold  letters,  which 


56  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

he  would  read  and  when  it  was  written  another  sentence  was 
presented.  If  written  correctly  it  would  disappear  and  another 
sentence  would  appear,  and  so  continue.  At  the  conclusion  of 
the  revelation  Joseph  was  receiving,  Father  Porter  said  that  the 
Prophet  remarked  that  he  had  never  found  such  great  faith 
as  was  manifest  in  that  house  on  that  occasion. 

The  writer  is  satisfied  that  there  never  was  a  greater 
prophet,  seer  and  revelator  on  this  earth  than  Joseph  Smith, 
the  Prophet  of  God. 

ORSON  PRATT'S  LETTER 

I  am  here  inserting  some  of  the  works  of  Brother  Orson 
Pratt,  one  of  the  twelve  apostles.    It  reads  as  follows : 

The  author  of  the  letter  has  carefully  examined  the  present 
state  of  the  world  and  declares  himself  fully  convinced  of  the 
awful  apostacy  which  now  so  universally  prevails.  He  unhes- 
itatingly admits  that  all  authority  to  teach,  to  administer  ordi- 
nances, to  build  up  the  church  of  Christ,  has  entirely  ceased 
from  the  earth — that  ''all  is  uncertain.'*  He  also  admits  that 
"it  is  very  reasonable  to  suppose  that  under  such  circumstances 
GOD  would  raise  up  and  send  one  invested  with  authority. 
Whether  Joseph  Smith  was  such  a  one  is  the  all  important 
question  and  one  that  involves  the  fate  of  the  present  genera- 
tion. If  Joseph  Smith  was  not  sent  of  God  and  the  tens  of 
thousands  who  have  been  baptized  into  this  Church  are  yet  in 
their  sins  and  no  better  off  than  the  millions  that  have  gone 
before  them.  The  form,  without  the  power  and  authority  is  no 
better  than  the  hundreds  of  human  forms  that  have  no  resem- 
blance to  the  ancient  pattern ;  indeed,  it  is  more  dangerous 
because  better  calculated  to  deceive.  Other  churches  do  not 
profess  to  have  inspired  apostles,  prophets,  prophetesses, 
evangelists,  etc,  hence  we  know  if  the  New  Testament  be  true, 
that  they  cannot  be  the  Church  of  God.  But  the  Latter-day 
Saints  profess  to  have  all  these  officers  and  gifts  among  them, 
and  profess  to  have  authority  to  administer  in  every  form,  or- 
dinance and  blessing  of  the  ancient  church,  hence  we  know, 
that  so  far  as  the  officers,  doctrines  ordinances,  and  ceremonies 
are  evidence,  this  Church  can  exhibit  a  perfect  pattern.     In 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  57 

these  things,  then,  both  ancient  and  modern  Saints  are  exactly 
alike.  By  the  New  Testament  then  we  cannot  be  condemned. 
If  the  Latter-day  Saints  are  not  what  they  profess  to  be, 
one  thing  is  certain,  that  no  one  ever  will  be  able  to  confute 
their  doctrine  by  the  scriptures ;  however,  imperfect  the  people 
may  be,  their  doctrine  is  infallible.  Can  this  be  said  of  any 
other  people  who  have  existed  on  the  eastern  hemisphere  dur- 
ing the  last  1700  years?  No.  Their  doctrines  have  been  a 
heterogenous  mixture  of  truth  and  error,  that  would  not  stand 
the  test  one  moment  when  measured  by  a  pattern  of  inspira- 
tion; some  disparity  could  be  seen  and  pointed  out — some 
deviation  either  in  the  organization  or  in  the  ordinances  of  the 
gospel  could  be  shown  to  exist.  And  now  after  so  many  cen- 
turies have  elapsed,  and  when  human  wisdom  has  been  exerted 
to  its  utmost  strength,  and  the  most  exalted  and  gigantic  tal- 
ents displayed  to  lay  a  stable  foundation  whereon  to  build,  we 
awake  and  behold  all  an  empty  bubble — a  vain  show — a  phan- 
tom of  man's  creation,  with  scarcely  a  vestige  of  the  ancient 
form,  to  say  nothing  of  the  power.  In  the  midst  of  all  this 
thick  darkness,  a  young  illiterate,  obscure  and  inexperienced 
man  announces  a  message  from  heaven,  before  which  darkness 
flees  away;  human  dogmas  are  overturned;  the  traditions  of 
ages  are  uprooted;  all  forms  of  church  government  tremble 
like  an  aspen  leaf  at  its  approach,  and  the  mighty  fabric  of 
popular  sectarianism  is  convulsed  and  shaken  to  its  very  foun- 
dation. How  happens  all  this?  If  Joseph  Smith  were  an  im- 
poster,  whence  his  superior  wisdom?  What  power  inspired 
his  mind  in  laying  the  foundation  of  a  church  according  to  the 
ancient  order?  How  could  an  impostor  so  far  surpass  the  com- 
bined wisdom  of  seventeen  centuries  as  to  originate  a  system 
diverse  from  every  other  system  under  heaven,  and  yet  har- 
monize with  the  system  of  Jesus  and  His  apostles  in  every 
particular?  What!  an  impostor  discover  the  gross  darkness 
of  ages,  and  publish  a  doctrine  perfect  in  every  respect,  against 
which  not  one  scriptural  argument  can  be  adduced !  The  idea 
is  preposterous !  The  purity  and  infallibility  of  the  doctrine  of 
this  great  modern  prophet  is  a  presumptive  evidence  of  no 
small  moment  in  favor  of  his  divine  mission. 


58  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

We  do  not  pretend  that  a  perfect  doctrine  is  an  infallible 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  divine  authority  of  the  one  who  teaches 
it.  We  can  conceive  it  possible,  though  not  probable,  for  a 
man  to  teach  a  doctrine  unmixed  with  error,  and  yet  be  without 
authority  to  administer  its  ordinances.  Swedenborg,  Irving 
and  many  others,  taught  doctrines  in  some  respects  true,  in 
other  respects  false;  hence  their  authority  should  be  rejected, 
even  though  they  should  perform  miracles.  We  have  no  ex- 
amples on  the  records  of  history,  of  a  doctrine  perfect  in  every 
respect,  being  taught  by  any  person  or  persons,  unless  they 
were  inspired  with  divine  authority.  If  Joseph  Smith  taught 
a  doctrine  in  any  respect  false,  he  should  be  rejected  as  an 
impostor,  though  he  should,  like  the  magicians  of  Egypt,  turn 
rivers  of  water  into  blood,  or  create  frogs  in  abundance,  or 
even  raise  the  dead  like  the  witch  of  Endor.  On  the  other 
hand,  if  he  taught  a  true  and  perfect  doctrine,  he  might  be  sent 
of  God,  though  he  himself  should  perform  no  miracle,  like  John 
the  Baptist,  or  the  Prophet  Noah,  or  many  other  prophets  of 
the  Old  Testament. 

In  ancient  times,  many  great  prophets  were  sent  of  God, 
and  we  have  no  record  of  their  doing  miracles,  yet  their  respec- 
tive messages  were  of  infinite  importance,  and  could  not  be  re- 
jected without  condemnation.  Where  is  there  a  man,  no  mat- 
ter how  great  his  attainments,  that  can  show  Mr.  Smith's  doc- 
trine to  be  false?  Did  the  ancient  saints  teach  baptism  to  the 
penitent  believer  for  the  remission  of  sins?  So  did  Mr. 
Smith.  Did  they  teach  the  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gifts  of 
the  Holy  Spirit?  So  did  Mr.  Smith.  Did  the  former-day 
saints  teach  that  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists,  pastors,  teach- 
ers, deacons,  bishops,  elders,  etc.,  all  inspired  of  God  were  nec- 
sary  in  the  church?  So  did  Mr.  Smith.  Did  the  ancient  saints 
teach  that  dreams,  visions,  new  revelations,  ministering  of  an- 
gels, healings,  tongues,  interpretations,  and  all  other  spiritual 
gifts  were  necessary  in  the  church?  So  did  this  modern 
prophet.  Where,  then,  is  the  discrepancy  between  the  ancient 
and  modern  teachings?  Nowhere.  The  teaching  of  the  one  is 
as  perfect  as  the  other;  and  we  again  assert  that  this  perfect 
coincidence  in  teaching,  in  every  point,  is  as  strong  persump- 
tive  evidence  that  Mr.  Smith  was  sent  of  God. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  59 

Second. — In  what  manner  does  Joseph  Smith  declare  that 
a  dispensation  of  the  gospel  was  committed  unto  him?  He 
testifies  that  an  angel  of  God,  whose  name  was  Moroni,  ap- 
peared unto  him ;  that  this  angel  was  formerly  an  ancient 
prophet  among  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  on  the  con- 
tinent of  America.  He  testifies  that  Moroni  revealed  unto  him 
where  he  deposited  the  sacred  records  of  his  nation  some  four- 
teen hundred  years  ago ;  that  these  records  contained  the  "ever- 
lasting gospel"  as  it  was  anciently  taught  and  recorded  by  this 
branch  of  Israel.  He  gave  Mr.  Smith  power  to  reveal  the  con- 
tents of  those  records  to  the  nations  of  the  earth.  Now  how 
does  this  testimony  of  Joseph  SnYith  agree  with  the  book  of 
John's  prophecy  given  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos?  John  testifies 
that  when  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  is  again  committed 
to  the  nations,  it  shall  be  through  the  medium  of  an  angel  from 
heaven.  Joseph  Smith  testifies  that  a  dispensation  of  the 
gospel  for  all  nations  has  been  committed  to  him  by  an  angel. 
The  one  uttered  the  prediction;  the  other  testifies  its  fulfill- 
ment. Though  Mr.  Smith  had  taught  a  perfect  doctrine,  yet 
if  he  had  testified  that  his  doctrine  was  not  restored  by  an 
angel,  all  would  at  once  have  known  him  to  be  an  impostor. 
How  came  Mr.  Smith,  if  an  impostor,  to  not  only  discover 
a  perfect  doctrine,  but  also  to  discover  the  precise  medium 
through  which  that  doctrine  should  be  restored  to  the  earth? 
Did  Swedenborg,  Irving,  Wesley,  or  any  other  person,  not 
only  teach  a  pure  system,  but  at  the  same  time  did  they  declare 
that  it  was  committed  to  them  by  an  angel  from  heaven?  If 
not,  however  pure  and  holy  their  teaching,  they  were  not 
divinely  authorized  to  administer  in  ordinances.  If  Mr.  Smith 
had  professed  to  have  accidently  discovered  those  records,  and 
that  he  was  inspired  to  reveal  their  contents  through  the  Urim 
and  Thummim ;  or  if  he  had  professed  to  have  received  a  mes- 
sage of  the  gospel  through  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
or  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  or  in  any  other  way  but  that  of 
the  ministering  of  an  angel,  we  should,  without  further  inquiry, 
have  known  him  to  be  without  authority.  How  came  Mr. 
Smith,  if  a  deceiver,  to  think  of  all  this?  Did  Martin  Luther, 
Wesley,    Whitfield,    Swedenborg,    or    Irving    think    of    this? 


60  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Whence  his  superior  intellect — his  depth  of  understanding — 
his  extensive  foresight — that  he  should  so  far  surpass  all 
former  impostors  for  1700  years?  John  testifies  that  when  the 
everlasting  gospel  is  restored  to  the  earth  it  shall  be  by  an 
angel.  Mr.  Smith  testifies  that  it  was  restored  by  an  angel, 
and  in  no  other  way.  This  is  another  presumptive  evidence 
that  he  was  sent  of  God. 

Third. — A  revelation  and  restoration  to  the  earth  of  the 
everlasting  gospel  through  the  angel  Moroni  would  be  of  no 
benefit  to  the  nations,  unless  some  one  should  be  ordained 
with  authority  to  preach  it  and  administer  its  ordinances. 
Moroni  might  reveal  a  book  containing  a  beautiful  and  glorious 
system  of  salvation,  but  no  one  could  obey  even  its  first  prin- 
ciples without  a  legally  authorized  administrator,  ordained  to 
preach,  baptize,  lay  on  hands  for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
etc.  Did  Moroni  ordain  Mr.  Smith  to  the  apostleship  and 
command  him  to  administer  ordinances?  No,  he  did  not.  But 
why  not  confer  authority  by  ordination,  as  well  as  reveal  the 
everlasting  gospel?  Because  in  all  probability  he  had  not  the 
right  so  to  do.  All  angels  have  not  the  same  authority — they 
do  not  all  hold  the  same  keys.  Moroni  was  a  prophet,  but  we 
have  no  account  of  his  holding  the  office  of  an  apostle ;  and  if 
not,  he  had  no  right  to  ordain  Mr.  Smith  to  an  office  which  he 
himself  never  possessed.  He  no  doubt  went  as  far  as  he  was  au- 
thorized, and  that  was  to  reveal  the  ''stick  of  Ephraim" — the. re- 
cord of  his  fathers  containing  the  "everlasting  gospel."  How 
then  did  Mr.  Smith  obtain  the  office  of  an  apostle,  if  Moroni  had 
no  authority  to  ordain  him  to  such  an  office?  Mr.  Smith  testifies 
that  Peter,  James  and  John  came  to  him  in  the  capacity  of  min- 
istering angels,  and  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  ordained  him  an 
apostle,  and  commanded  him  to  preach,  baptize,  lay  on  hands 
for  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  administer  all  other  ordi- 
nances of  the  gospel  as  they  themselves  did  in  ancient  days. 
Did  Swedenborg — did  Irving's  apostles — or  did  any  other  im- 
postors during  the  long  age  of  darkness — profess  that  the  apos- 
tleship was  conferred  upon  them  by  those  who  held  it  last — by 
any  angel  who  held  the  office  himself?  No !  and  therefore  they 
are  not  apostles  but  deceivers.     If  Mr.  Smith  had  pretended 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  61 

that  he  received  the  apostleship  by  the  revelation  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  without  an  ordination  under  the  hands  of  an  apostle,  we 
should  at  once  know  that  his  pretensions  were  vain,  and  that  he 
was  a  deceiver.  If  an  impostor,  how  came  Mr.  Smith  to  dis- 
cover this?  Why  did  he  not,  like  the  Irvingites,  assume  the 
apostleship  without  an  apostle  to  ordain  him?  How  came  he 
to  possess  so  much  more  wisdom  than  Irving,  as  to  discover 
that  he  could  not  be  an  apostle  without  being  ordained  under 
the  hands  of  an  apostle  to  ordain  him  ?  How  came  he  to  pos- 
sess so  much  more  wisdom  than  Irving  as  to  discover  that  he 
could  not  be  an  apostle  without  being  ordained  under  the 
hands  of  an  apostle?  If  Mr.  Smith  be  a  false  apostle,  it  must 
be  confessed  that  he  has  exhibited  far  more  judgment  than  all 
the  false  apostles  who  have  preceded  him,  learned  and  talented 
as  they  were.  Is  not  this  another  presumptive  evidence  of 
Joseph  Smith's  divine  mission?  Such  a  correctness  upon  mat- 
ters of  so  great  a  moment,  and  upon  subjects  on  which  millions 
have  heretofore  erred,  indicates  something  more  than  human 
— it  indicates  inspiration  of  the  Almighty.  The  purity  of  Mr. 
Smith's  doctrine — the  perfect  coincidence  of  his  testimony 
with  that  of  John's,  in  relation  to  the  manner  of  the  restoration 
of  the  everlasting  Gospel  to  the  earth,  and  the  consistency  of 
his  testimony  in  relation  to  the  manner  of  the  restoration  of  the 
apostleship,  are  strong  presumptive  evidences  that  beautifully 
harmonize  with  and  strengthen  each  other;  the  evidence  is 
therefore  accumulative,  and  increases  with  every  additional 
condition  or  circumstances  in  a  multiplied  ratio,  and  seems 
almost  irresistible  to  force  conviction  upon  the  mind. 

Fourth. — Joseph  Smith  not  only  professes,  through  the 
medium  of  angels,  to  have  received  a  dispensation  of  the 
gospel,  and  the  power  and  authority  of  the  apostleship,  but  he 
also  professes  to  have  received  through  revelation  and  com- 
mandment from  God,  a  dispensation  for  the  gathering  of  the 
Saints  from  all  nations.  Now  the  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of 
the  Saints  in  the  last  days  must  either  be  false  or  true ;  if  false, 
then  Joseph  Smith  must  be  an  impostor.  It  matters  not  how 
correct  he  may  have  been  in  all  other  points  of  his  system,  if 
this  one  point — the  doctrine  of  the  gathering  be  false,  he  must 


62  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

be  a  deceiver.  Why?  Because  he  professes  to  have  received 
this  doctrine  by  direct  revelation  and  commandment.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  the  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  be  a 
true  doctrine  and  scriptural,  this  will  be  another  presumptive 
evidence  that  Mr.  Smith  was  sent  of  God.  , 

Now  a  doctrine  may  be  true  and  not  be  scriptural ;  as  for 
example,  Newton's  ddctrine  or  law  of  universal  gravitation  is  a 
true  doctrine,  but  not  a  scriptural  one ;  that  is,  it  can  neither  be 
proved  nor  disproved  by  the  scriptures.  So  Noah's  doctrine  of 
gathering  into  an  ark — Lot's  doctrine  of  fleeing  out  of  Sodom 
— Christ's  doctrine  to  depart  out  of  Jerusalem  and  flee  to  the 
mountains  to  escape  destruction,  were  all  true ;  but  neither  of 
them  could  be  proved  or  disproved  by  any  scripture  given  to 
any  of  the  former  prophets.  So  likewise  Mr.  Smith's  doctrine  of 
the  gathering  of  the  Saints  in  the  last  days  might  be  true,  even 
though  there  should  be  no  former  scripture  that  predicted 
such  an  event ;  but  in  this  case  such  a  doctrine  would  be  no  evi- 
dence that  Mr.  Smith,  who  advocated  it,  was  sent  of  God ;  but 
if  such  doctrine  can  be  proved  to  be  a  scriptural  doctrine,  that 
is,  if  the  gathering  of  the  Saints  was  predicted  in  ancient  scrip- 
tures as  an  event  to  take  place  in  a  certain  age,  in  a  certain 
way,  and  through  certain  means,  and  Mr.  Smith  comes  in  that 
age,  professing  to  have  a  message  to  gather  the  Saints  in  such 
way,  and  by  such  means  as  the  scriptures  have  foretold,  then 
the  exact  and  perfect  agreement  between  the  professed  mes- 
sage of  Mr.  Smith,  and  the  scriptural  predictions  relating  to 
such  a  message  or  work,  would  be  presumptive  evidence  of 
great  weight  in  favor  of  his  divine  mission. 

The  doctrine  of  the  gathering  of  the  people  of  God,  includ- 
ing Israel,  is  one  so  clearly  predicted  by  the  inspired  writers, 
that  it  seefns  almost  superfluous  to  refer  to  the  numerous  pas- 
sages relating  to  it.  The  dispensation  in  Which  the  people  of 
God  were  to  be  gathered  in  one,  is  called  by  the  apostle  Paul, 
"the  dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times ;"  which  he  repre- 
sents as  being  an  event  then  in  the  future.  John,  nearly  one 
hundred  years  after  the  birth  of  our  Saviour,  saw  the  wonder- 
ful events  and  sceneries  of  unborn  generations  displayed  in  ma- 
jestic and  awful  grandeur  before  him.     He  saw  the  churches 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  63 

of  Asia,  then  under  his  own  personal  watch-care,  lukewarm, 
corrupted,  and  about  ready  to  be  moved  out  of  their  place.  He 
saw  the  universal  apostacy  that  was  soon  to  succeed  and  hold 
dominion  for  ages  over  all  kindred  and  tongues,  under  the 
name  of  the  Mother  of  Harlots — the  great  Babylon  that  should 
make  all  nations  drunk  with  her  wickedness.  He  saw  that 
after  the  nations  had  been  overwhelmed  in  thick  darkness  for 
ages,  without  the  Church  of  God,  without  apostles,  without 
the  ministering  of  angels,  without  one  cheering  message  from 
heaven,  that  there  would  be  one  more  proclamation  of  mercy 
made  to  all  people — one  more  dispensation  of  glad  tidings  from 
the  heavens,  to  be  ushered  in  by  an  angel  restoring  the  ever- 
lasting gospel,  which  was  to  receive  a  universal  proclamation 
to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth,  followed  with  a  loud  cry,  that 
the  hour  of  God's  judgment  is  come.  He  saw  the  universal 
proclamation  of  this  warning  message  immediately  followed 
by  another  angel,  proclaiming  the  complete  overthrow  and 
downfall  of  Babylon.  Between  the  interval  of  the  flying  of 
these  two  angels,  he  "heard  another  voice  from  heaven,  saying 
come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  be  not  partakers  of  her 
sins,  and  that  ye  receive  not  of  her  plagues.  For  her  sins 
have  reached  unto  heaven,  and  God  hath  remembered  her  ini- 
quities." Remember,  that  this  voice,  commanding  the  people 
to  come  out  of  Babylon,  was  to  be  a  "voice  from  heaven."  It 
was  not  to  be  a  cunningly  devised  plan  of  uninspired  man, 
brought  about  by  human  ingenuity,  but  it  was  to  be  a  voice 
from  heaven — a  message  sent  from  God — a  new  revelation, 
commanding  the  Saints  to  come  out  of  Babylon  previous  to  its 
downfall.  How  came  Mr.  Smith,  if  an  impostor,  to  get,  not 
only  all  the  other  particulars  which  we  have  mentioned,  per- 
fectly exact,  but  also  to  discover  that  there  must  be  a  gathering 
of  the  Saints  out  of  Babylon,  and  that  that  work  must  imme- 
diately follow  the  introduction  of  the  gospel  by  an  angel? 
Why  did  he  not  say,  my  doctrine  is  true,  and  if  you  will  em- 
brace it  you  can  be  saved,  and  still  remain  where  you  are?  It 
matters  not  how  correct  this  doctrine  might  have  been  in  all 
other  points,  if  he  had  told  his  disciples  to  remain  among  the 
corrupt  nations,  and  not  gather  together — this  alone  would 
have  exposed  the  cloven  foot,  and  proved  him  to  be  a  deceiver. 


64  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Swedenborg,  Wesley,  Irving  and  a  numerous  host  of  others, 
during  the  last  seventeen  hundred  years,  have  entirely  neg- 
lected the  gathering,  v^hich  proves  that  they  were  v^ithout  au- 
thority— that  a  dispensation  of  the  gospel  was  never  committed 
to  them — that  the  voice  from  heaven  to  come  out  of  Babylon 
had  never  saluted  their  ears.  Previous  to  the  restoration  of  the 
gospel  by  an  angel,  God  had  no  people  in  Babylon,  and  there- 
fore he  could  not  call  them  out.  An  unauthorized  uninspired 
priesthood,  preaching  a  perverted  gospel,  never  could  raise  up 
a  people  of  God  in  Babylon ;  for  they  themselves  are  Babylon, 
and  all  their  converts  or  children  are  begotten  after  their  own 
likeness  with  Babylonish  inscriptions  upon  their  foreheads. 
It  is  only  when  the  gospel,  apostleship,  and  power  are  again 
restored  in  the  way  and  manner  predicted,  that  a  people  of 
God  can  be  raised  up  among  the  nations.  It  is  then,  and  not 
until  then,  that  the  voice  is  heard  from  heaven,  calling  that 
people  out  from  among  the  nations.  Mr.  Smith  did  not  forget 
this.  It  is  marvellously  strange,  indeed,  that  he  should  be  an 
impostor,  and  yet  embrace  in  his  system  every  particular  that 
was  to  characterize  the  great  dispensation  of  the  latter  times. 
It  matters  not  how  diverse  the  points  of  his  doctrine  were  to 
the  popular  current  among  the  great  modern  systems  of  re- 
ligion. He  seems  to  have  introduced  his  system  without  pay- 
ing the  least  regard  as  to  what  would  be  popular  or  unpopular 
— as  to  whether  it  would  suit  the  learned  or  the  unlearned — 
as  to  whether  it  would  suit  the  temporal  circumstances  of  man 
or  not.  He  did  not  stop  to  make  the  inquiry  whether  the  gath- 
ering of  the  Saints  would  be  congenial  to  the  feelings  of  those 
who  occupied  splendid  mansions,  upon  fine  farms,  surrounded 
with  every  luxury  of  life.  He  did  not  stop  to  consider  any  of 
those  things,  but  spoke  as  one  having  authority ;  saying  "thus 
saith  the  Lord,"  upon  every  point  of  doctrine  which  he  pro- 
mulgated. Now,  for  a  young  man,  inexperienced  and  illiterate, 
to  profess  to  give  the  word  of  the  Lord  upon  subjects  of  so 
great  a  moment — to  reveal  doctrines  which  were  directly  op- 
posed, not  only  to  his  own  traditions,  but  to  the  teachings  and 
doctrines  of  the  most  popular,  numerous,  and  powerful  sects  of 
the  day,  and  at  the  same  time  have  those  doctrines  exactly  ac- 
cord, not  only  with  the  ancient  gospel,  but  with  every  minute 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  65 

prediction  relative  to  the  dispensation  of  the  last  days,  is  an 
evidence  that  carries  truth  upon  the  face  of  it,  and  leaves  a 
deep  and  lasting  impression  upon  every  reflecting  mind,  and 
we  can  hardly  refrain  from  assenting  in  our  hearts,  that  surely 
he  must  have  been  sent  of  God. 

Fifth, — What  else  besides  the  "everlasting  gospel"  does 
the  Book  of  Mormon  profess  to  contain?  It  professes  to  con- 
tain a  brief  but  faithful  history  of  a  small  branch  of  the  tribe 
of  Joseph,  and  the  revelations  given  to  them  both  before  and 
after  Christ,  written  by  a  succession  of  prophets  who  were  the 
literal  descendants  of  Joseph ;  hence  it  professes  to  be,  in  the 
full  sense  of  the  word,  the  writings  or  records  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph.  It  contains  numerous  and  pointed  predictions,  show- 
ing expressly  that  the  age  in  which  their  records  should  by  the 
power  of  God,  be  revealed  to  the  nations,  should  also  be  the 
day  in  which  Israel  should  be  gathered ;  and  that  their  records 
in  conjunction  with  the  records  of  the  Jews,  should  be  the 
powerful  instruments  in  the  hands  of  the  servants  of  God  in 
bringing  about  that  great  work.  Now,  how  does  this  accord 
with  the  word  of  the  Lord  to  Ezekiel  upon  the  same  subject? 
Ezekiel  was  commanded  to  write  upon  two  sticks,  one  for 
Judah  and  the  other  for  Joseph ;  after  which  he  was  com- 
manded to  join  them  together  into  one.  And  when  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  should  make  inquiry  what  these  two  united 
writings  of  Judah  and  Joseph  meant,  he  was  to  say  unto  them, 
that  the  Lord  God  would  join  the  writings  of  Joseph  with  those 
of  Judah  ;  immediately  after  which  He  would  take  the  children 
of  Israel  from  among  the  heathen,  whither  they  were  gone, 
and  would  gather  them  on  every  side,  and  bring  them  into  their 
own  land ;  and  that  He  would  make  them  one  nation  in  the  land 
upon  the  mountains  of  Israel ;  and  that  one  king  should  be  king 
to  them  all ;  and  that  they  should  no  more  be  two  nations  or 
kingdoms.  Ezekiel  testifies  that  the  writings  of  Joseph  should 
be  joined  with  the  writings  of  Judah.  Mr.  Smith  presents  this 
generation  with  a  book,  consisting  of  several  hundred  pages, 
professing  to  be  the  sacred  writings  of  the  inspired  prophets 
of  the  tribe  of  Joseph,  who  anciently  inhabited  the  great  west- 
ern hemisphere.     Ezekiel  testifies  that  Israel  should  be  gath- 


66  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

ered,  never  again  to  be  scattered,  immediately  after  the  union 
of  these  two  records.  The  professed  record  of  Joseph,  brought 
to  light  by  Mr.  Smith,  testifies  in  the  most  positive  language, 
that  this  is  the  age  in  which  Israel  shall  be  gathered  through 
the  instrumentality  of  the  wgrd  and  power  of  God,  contained  in 
the  two  records.  Ezekiel  uttered  the  prediction.  Mr.  Smith 
presents  a  professed  fulfillment.  This  is  another  presumptive 
evidence  in  favor  of  the  divine  authority  of  his  mission ;  for  if 
the  gathering  of  Israel  had  not  been  included  in  the  mission 
of  Mr.  Smith,  as  an  important  part  of  the  great  work  of  the  last 
dispensation,  all  would  have  had  good  reason  for  rejecting  him 
without  further  inquiry.  The  ministering  of  an  angel — the 
restoration  of  the  gospel — the  conferring  of  the  apostleship — 
the  setting  up  of  the  kingdom  of  God — the  gathering  of  the 
Saints — the  revelation  of  the  record  of  Joseph,  and  its  union 
with  the  Jewish  record — and  the  restoration  of  all  the  house  of 
Israel  to  their  own  lands,  are  the  wonderful  events  to  be  ful- 
filled in  the  great  ''dispensation  of  the  fullness  of  times." 

Whatever  person  or  persons  are  divinely  commissioned  to 
usher  in  that  dispensation,  must  have  the  keys  of  authority  to 
perform  every  work  pertaining  thereunto.  If  Joseph  Smith  had 
included  all  these  remarkable  events  in  his  mission,  excepting 
one ;  then  that  one  exception  would  be  sufficient  to  prove  him 
to  be  acting  without  authority.  But  where,  we  ask  is  there 
one  exception?  What  particular  event  or  circumstance  per- 
taining to  the  dispensation,  of  which  he  professed  to  hold  the 
keys,  has  he  excluded  from  his  system  ?  Did  John  predict  the 
restoration  of  the  gospel  by  an  angel?  It  is  included  in  Mr. 
Smith's  system.  Did  John  predict  that  the  Saints  should  re- 
ceive a  message  from  heaven,  commanding  them  to  come  out 
of  Babylon?  It  also  is  included  in  the  system  of  Joseph  Smith, 
and  the  Saints  are  now  obeying  it.  Did  Ezekiel  predict  the 
final  gathering  of  Israel  as  an  immediate  result  of  the  union  of 
the  two  records  of  Joseph  and  Judah?  Mr.  Smith  also  includes 
that  in  his  system.  The  two  records  are  already  united  in 
their  testimony,  and  will  soon  accomplish  the  purpose  for 
which  they  were  sent  forth.  What  then  is  lacking?  Is  there 
any  of  the  prophets,  or  inspired  waiters  of  ancient  times,  who 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  67 

have  pointed  out  some  other  way  for  the  latter-day  dispen- 
sation to  be  brought  about?  Can  any  man  show  that  the 
gospel  will  not  be  restored  by  an  angel,  or  that  the  Saints  will 
not  be  called  out  of  Babylon  by  a  message  from  heaven?  or 
that  the  record  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  will  not  be  joined  with 
the  Jewish  record — the  Bible?  or  that  Israel  will  not  be  gath- 
ered to  their  own  lands  through  the  instrumentality  of  more 
revelation  ?  or  that  the  kingdom  of  God  will  not  be  set  up  in 
the  latter  days  to  break  in  pieces  all  other  kingdoms?  or  that 
apostles  and  prophets  will  not  be  restored  to  the  earth  as  in 
ancient  times?  If  all  these  things  are  possible,  probably,  and 
scriptural — if  all  these  events  must  come  to  pass  in  their 
time,  and  in  the  manner  predicted — can  any  one  show  that 
this  is  not  the  time?  that  the  Book  of  Mormon  is  not  the 
record  of  Joseph,  about  which  Ezekiel  prophesied?  Can  any 
one  show  any  cause  why  Joseph  Smith  should  not  receive  the 
ministering  of  an  angel?  Why  he  should  not  be  ordained  an 
apostle,  or  prophet,  or  receive  revelations  and  commandments 
from  God  ?  If  the  gospel  is  to  be  restored  by  an,  angel,  it  must 
be  restored  at  the  first  to  some  person.  Why  not  that  person  be 
Mr.  Smith?  If  the  records  of  two  different  tribes  are  to  be  joined 
in  one,  why  not  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Bible  be  the  two 
records?  And  why  not  Mr.  Smith  be  the  instrument  m  the 
hands  of  God  in  fulfilling  this  prophecy?  If  these  things  are 
not  the  fulfillment  of  those  ancient  predictions,  will  the  genera- 
tions that  live  when  they  do  come  to  pass  be  any  more  believ- 
ing than  they  are  at  present  in  this  work?  Will  they  be  any 
more  ready  to  receive  new  revelations,  visions,  angels,  or  an- 
cient sacred  records  than  they  are  now?  When  God  sets  up 
his  kingdom  will  mankind  be  any  more  willing  to  receive  the 
apostles,  prophets,  and  inspired  officers  of  that  kingdom,  than 
they  are  now?  One  thing  is  certain ;  if  the  angel  has  not  come 
— if  the  gospel  is  not  restored — if  the  records  of  Joseph  are  not 
revealed — then  there  is  no  kingdom  of  God  on  the  earth,  no 
authority  to  preach  or  administer  the  ordinances  among  men ; 
all  is  gross  darkness — all  is  uncertainty — and  our  only  alterna- 
tive is  to  wait  till  the  voice  of  the  angel  is  heard,  till  the  great 
work  of  the  last  dispensation  is  ushered  in.     But  will  we  then 


68  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

receive  it?  Will  not  our  prejudices  be  as  great  then  as  they 
are  now  against  Mr.  Smith?  Are  there  any  qualifications  that 
Mr.  Smith  should  possess  that  he  did  not  possess?  Were  there 
any  doctrines  which  he  advocated  adverse  to  scriptural  doc- 
trine? Were  there  any  principles  connected  with  his  system 
inconsistent  with  the  prophecies?  If  then  perfection  character- 
izes every  doctrine  embraced  in  the  great  scheme  of  this  mod- 
ern prophet,  who  can  say  that  he  was  not  sent  of  God?  Who 
dare  oppose  so  great  and  perfect  a  system,  without  the  least 
shadow  of  evidence  to  prove  its  falsity?  Who  so  lost  to  every 
sense  of  reason  and  sound  judgment,  as  not  to  perceive  an 
overwhelming  evidence  flowing  in  from  every  quarter  to  es- 
tablish the  divine  mission  of  Joseph  Smith?  Who  that  has 
examined  his  mission  or  system  impartially,  can  bring  even 
one  evidence  against  it?  Are  we  not  bound  then  to  yield,  at 
least,  our  faith  on  the  side  of  evidence?  What  excuse  then  can 
the  learned,  and  great  and  wise  of  the  earth,  render  for  oppos- 
ing a  work  of  so  great  importance  with  nought  but  ridicule, 
and  slander,  and  vile  reproaches?  Let  them  bring  forth  their 
strong  reasonings,  or  else  let  them  hear,  and  say  it  is  truth. 

Sixth. — The  perfect  agreement  between  the  prediction  of 
Isaiah  (Chap.  XXIX)  and  Mr.  Smith's  account  of  the  finding 
and  translation  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  is  another  collateral 
proof  that  he  was  divinely  commissioned.  Mr.  Smith  testifies 
that  the  plates  from  which  that  book  was  translated  were  taken 
out  of  the  ground,  from  where  they  were  originally  deposited 
by  the  prophet  Moroni ;  that  the  box  containing  them  was 
composed  of  stone,  so  constructed  as  to  exclude,  in  a  great 
degree,  the  moisture  of  the  soil ;  that  with  the  plates  he  dis- 
covered a  Urim  and  Thummim,  through  the  aid  of  which  he 
afterwards  was  enabled  to  translate  the  book  into  the  English 
language.  Soon  after  obtaining  the  plates  a  number  of  the 
characters  were  correctly  transcribed,  and  sent  to  gome  of  the 
most  learned  individuals  in  the  United  States,  to  see  if  they 
conld  translate  them.  Among  the  rest,  they  were  presented  to 
Professor  Anthon,  of  New  York  City.  But  no  man  was  found 
able  to  read  them  by  his  own  learning  or  wisdom.  Mr.  Smith, 
though  an  unlearned  man,  testifies  that  he  was  commanded  to 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  69 

translate  them,  through  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by 
the  aid  of  the  Urim  and  Thummin,  and  that  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon is  that  translation.  Now,  Isaiah  says  to  Israel,  "Thou 
shalt  be  brought  down,  and  shalt  speak  out  of  the  ground,  and 
thy  speech  shall  whisper  out  of  the  dust." 

Who  cannot  perceive  the  perfect  harmony  between 
Isaiah's  prediction  and  Mr.  Smith's  testimony?  Isaiah,  as  if  to 
impress  it  upon  the  minds  of  those  who  should  live  in  future 
generations,  gives  no  less  than  four  repetitions  of  the  same  pre- 
diction in  the  same  passage,  informing  us  in  the  most  definite 
language,  that  after  Israel  should  be  brought  down,  they 
should  speak  in  a  very  familiar  manner  "out  of  the  ground," 
and  "whisper  low  out  of  the  dust."  Mr.  Smith  has  been  an  in- 
strument in  the  hands  of  God  of  fulfilling  this  prediction  to 
the  very  letter.  He  has  taken  "out  of  the  ground"  the  ancient 
history  of  one-half  of  our  globe — the  sacred  records  of  a  great 
nation  of  Israel — the  writings  of  a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of 
Joseph,  who  once  flourished  as  a  great  and  powerful  nation  on 
the  western  hemisphere.  The  mouldering  ruins  of  their  an- 
cient forts,  and  towers,  and  cities,  proclaim  their  former  great- 
ness, in  mournful  contrast  with  their  present  sad  condition. 
They  have  been  brought  down  like  all  the  rest  of  Israel ;  but 
the  words  of  their  ancient  prophets  "speak  out  of  the  ground" 
and  "whisper  out  of  the  dust''  to  the  ears  of  the  present  genera- 
tion, revealing  in  a  very  "familiar"  manner  the  history  of  an- 
cient America,  which  before  was  entirely  unknown  to  the  na- 
tions. Isaiah  says,  that  Israel  should  "speak  out  of  the 
ground."  Mr.  Smith  says  that  he  obtained  the  writings  of 
Joseph  from  "out  of  the  ground."  Now,  if  Mr.  Smith  had  pro- 
fessed that  he  had  got  his  book  as  Swedenborg  obtained  his, 
or  as  the  Shakers  obtained  theirs ;  that  is,  if  he  had  professed 
to  have  obtained  this  book  to  usher  in  this  last  dispensation 
in  any  other  way  but  "out  of  the  ground,"  we  should  have  had 
reason  to  suppose  him  a  deceiver,  like  Swedenborg  and  thou- 
sands of  others.  Again,  Isaiah  says  that  "the  vision  of  all  is 
become  unto  you  as  the  words  of  a  book  that  is  sealed,  which 
men  deliver  to  one  that  is  learned,  saying,  Read  this,  I  pray 
thee :  and  he  saith,  I  cannot ;  for  it  is  sealed :  And  the  book  is 


70  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

delivered  to  him  that  is  not  learned,  saying,  Read  this,  I  pray 
thee :  and  he  saith,  I  am  not  learned.  Wherefore  the  Lord  said, 
Forasmuch  as  this  people  draw  near  me  with  their  mouth,  and 
with  their  lips  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  heart  far 
from  me,  and  their  fear  toward  me  is  taught  by  the  precept  of 
men :  Therefore,  behold,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work 
among  this  people,  even  a  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder ;  for 
the  wisdom  of  their  wise  men  shall  perish,  and  the  understand- 
ing of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid."  All  this  was  fulfilled  be- 
fore Mr.  Smith  w'as  aware  that  it  had  been  so  clearly  predicted 
by  Isaiah.  He  sent  the  "words  of  a  book"  which  he  found,  as 
before  stated,  to  Professor  Anthon.  But  it  was  a  sealed  writ- 
ing to  the  learned  professor — the  aboriginal  language  of  an- 
cient America  could  not  be  deciphered  by  him.  He  was  as 
much  puzzled  as  the  wise  men  of  Babylon  were  to  interpret 
the  unknown  writing  upon  the  wall.  Human  wisdom  and  learn- 
ing, in  this  case,  were  altogether  insufficient.  It  required 
another  Daniel,  who  was  found  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Smith. 
What  a  marvelous  work !  What  a  wonder !  How  the  wisdom 
of  the  wise  and  learned  was  made  to  perish  by  the  gift  of  in- 
terpretation given  to  the  unlearned !  If  the  Book  of  Mormon  is 
what  it  professes  to  be — a  sacred  record — then  it  must  be  the 
very  book  mentioned  in  Isaiah's  prediction ;  for  the  Prophet 
Nephi,  one  of  the  writers  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  who  lived 
upwards  of  2,400  years  ago,  informs  us  that  their  writings 
should  be  brought  to  light  in  the  last  days,  in  fulfillment  of 
Isaiah's  prediction ;  he  also  delivers  a  prophecy  in  relation  to 
the  same  book,  and  predicts  many  events  in  connection  there- 
with, which  are  not  mentioned  by  Isaiah.  We  here  give  an 
extract  from  his  prediction,  as  also  his  quotations  from  Isaiah : 

"Behold,  in  the  last  days,  or  in  the  days  of  the  Gentiles ; 
yea,  behold  all  the  nations  of  the  Gentiles,  and  also  the  Jews, 
both  those  who  shall  come  upon  this  land,  and  those  who  shall 
be  upon  other  lands ;  yea,  even  upon  all  the  lands  of  the  earth  ; 
behold,  they  will  be  drunken  with  iniquity,  and  all  manner  of 
abominations ;  and  when  that  day  shall  come,  they  shall  be  vis- 
ited of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  with  thunder,  and  with  earthquake, 
and  with  a  great  noise,  and  with  storm,  and  with  tempest,  and 
with  the  flame  of  devouring  fire ;  and  all  the  nations  that  fight 
against  Zion,  and  that  distress  her,  shall  be  as  a  dream  of  a 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  71 

night  vision ;  yea,  it  shall  be  unto  them,  even  as  unto  a  hungry 
man  which  dreameth,  and  behold  he  eateth,  but  he  awaketh 
and  his  soul  is  empty;  or  like  unto  a  thirsty  man  which  dream- 
eth, and  behold  he  drinketh,  but  he  awaketh,  and  behold  he  is 
faint,  and  his  soul  hath  appetite :  yea,  even  so  shall  the  multi- 
tude of  all  the  nations  be  that  fight  against  Mount  Zion ;  for  be- 
hold, all  ye  that  do  iniquity,  stay  yourselves  and  wonder,  for  ye 
shall  cry  out,  and  cry ;  ye  shall  be  drunken,  but  not  with  wine ; 
ye  shall  stagger,  but  not  with  strong  drink:  for  behold,  the 
Lord  hath  poured  out  upon  you,  the  spirit  of  deep  sleep.  For 
behold,  ye  have  closed  your  eyes,  and  ye  have  rejected  the 
prophets;  and  your  rulers,  and  the  seers  hath  He  covered  be- 
cause of  your  iniquity. 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  God  shall  bring 
forth  unto  you  the  words  of  a  book,  and  they  shall  be  the 
words  of  them  which  have  slumbered.  And  behold  the  book 
shall  be  sealed ;  and  in  the  book  shall  be  a  revelation  from  God 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  ending  thereof?  Where- 
fore, because  of  the  things  which  are  sealed  up,  the  things 
which  are  sealed  shall  not  be  delivered  in  the  day  of  the  wicked- 
ness and  abomination  of  the  people.  Wherefore  the  book 
shall  be  kept  from  them.  But  the  book  shall  be  delivered  unto 
a  man,  and  he  shall  deliver  the  words  of  the  book,  which  are 
the  words  of  those  who  have  slumbered  in  the  dust;  and  he 
shall  deliver  these  words  unto  another;  but  the  words  which 
are  sealed  he  shall  not  deliver,  neither  shall  he  deliver 
the  book.  For  the  book  shall  be  sealed  by  the  power 
of  God,  and  the  revelation  which  was  sealed  shall  be  kept 
in  the  book  until  the  own  due  time  of  the  Lord,  that  they  may 
come  forth ;  for  behold,  they  reveal  all  things  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world  unto  the  end  thereof.  And  the  day  cometh 
that  the  words  of  the  book  which  were  sealed,  shall  be  read 
upon  the  house-tops ;  and  they  shall  be  read  by  the  power  ol 
Christ :  and  all  things  shall  be  revealed  unto  the  children  of 
men  which  ever  have  been  among  the  children  of  m'en,  and 
which  ever  will  be,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  earth.  Where- 
fore at  that  day  when  the  book  shall  be  delivered  unto  the  man 
of  whom  I  have  spoken,  the  book  shall  be  hid  from  the  eyes 
of  the  world,  that  the  eyes  of  none  shall  behold  it,  save  it 
be  that  three  witnesses  shall  behold  it,  by  the  power  of  God, 
besides  him  to  whom  the  book  shall  be  delivered;  and  they 
shall  testify  to  the  truth  of  the  book,  and  the  things  therein. 
And  there  is  none  other  which  shall  view  it,  save  it  be  a  few 
according  to  the  will  of  God,  to  bear  testimony  of  his  word 
unto  the  children  of  men ;  for  the  Lord  God  hath  said,  that  the 
words  of  the  faithful  should  speak  as  if  it  were  from  the  dead. 


12  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Wherefore,  the  Lord  God  will  proceed  to  bring  forth  the  words 
of  the  book ;  and  in  the  mouth  of  as  many  witnesses  as  seemeth 
him  good,  will  he  establish  his  word ;  and  wo  be  unto  him  that 
rejecteth  the  word  of  God. 

''But  behold,  it  shall  come  to  pass  that  the  Lord  God  shall 
say  unto  him  to  whom  He  shall  deliver  the  book,  take  these 
words  which  are  not  sealed  and  deliver  them  to  another,  that 
he  may  show  them  unto  the  learned,  saying,  read  this,  I  pray 
thee.  And  the  learned  shall  say,  bring  hither  the  book,  and  I 
will  read  them :  and  now,  because  of  the  glory  of  the  world, 
and  to  get  gain  will  they  say  this,  and  not  for  the  glory  of  God. 
And  the  man  shall  say,  I  cannot  bring  the  book,  for  it  is  sealed. 
Then  shall  the  learned  say,  I  cannot  read  it.  Wherefore  it 
shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  God  will  deliver  again  the 
book  and  words  thereof  to  him  that  is  not  learned;  and  the 
man  that  is  not  learned  shall  say,  I  am  not  learned.  Then 
shall  the  Lord  God  say  unto  him,  the  learned  shall  not  read 
them,  for  they  have  rejected  them,  and  I  am  able  to  do  mine 
own  work ;  wherefore,  thou  shalt  read  the  words  which  I  shall 
give  unto  thee.  Touch  not  the  things  which  are  sealed,  for  I 
will  bring  them  forth  in  my  own  due  time ;  for  I  will  show  unto 
the  children  of  men  that  I  am  able  to  do  mine  own  work. 
Wherefore,  when  thou  hast  read  the  words  which  I  have  com- 
manded thee,  and  obtained  the  witnesses  which  I  have  prom- 
ised unto  thee,  then  shalt  thou  seal  up  the  book  again,  and 
hide  it  up  unto  me,  that  I  may  preserve  the  words  which  thou 
hast  not  read,  until  I  shall  see  fit  in  mine  own  wisdom,  to  re- 
veal all  things  unto  the  children  of  men.  For  behold,  I  am 
God ;  and  I  am  a  God  of  miracles :  and  I  will  show  unto  the 
world  that  I  am  the  same  yesterday,  today,  and  for  ever;  and 
I  work  not  among  the  children  of  men,  save  it  be  according  to 
their  faith. 

"And  again  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the  Lord  shall  say 
unto  him  that  shall  read  the  words  that  shall  be  delivered  him, 
forasmuch  as  this  people  draw  near  unto  me  with  their  mouth, 
and  with  their  lips  do  honor  me,  but  have  removed  their  hearts 
far  from  me,  and  their  fear  towards  me  is  taught  by  the  pre- 
cepts of  men,  therefore,  I  will  proceed  to  do  a  marvelous  work 
among  this  people,  yea  a  marvelous  work  and  a  wonder;  for 
the  wisdom  of  the  wise  and  learned  shall  perish  and  the  under- 
standing of  their  prudent  shall  be  hid  ******  ^^d 
in  that  day  shall  the  deaf  hear  the  words  of  the  book,  and  the 
eyes  of  the  blind  shall  be  set  out  of  obscurity  and  out  of  dark- 
ness; and  the  meek  also  shall  increase,  and  their  joy  shall  be  in 
the  Lord,  and  the  poor  among  men  shall  rejoice  in  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel.    For  assuredly  as  the  Lord  liveth  they  shall  see 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  73 

that  the  terrible  one  is  brought  to  nought,  and  the  scorner  is 
consumed,  and  all  that  watch  for  iniquity  are  cut  off;  and  they 
that  make  a  man  an  offender  for  a  word,  and  lay  a  snare  for 
him  that  reproveth  in  the  gate,  and  turn  aside  the  just  for  a 
thing  of  nought.  Therefore  thus  saith  the  Lord,  who  redeemed 
Abraham,  concerning  the  house  of  Jacob,  Jacob  shall  not  now 
be  ashamed,  neither  shall  his  face  now  wax  pale.  But  when  he 
seeth  his  children,  the  work  of  my  hands,  in  the  midst  of  him, 
they  shall  sanctify  my  name,  and  sanctify  the  Holy  One  of 
Jacob,  and  shall  fear  the  God  of  Israel.  They  also  that  erred 
in  spirit  shall  come  to  understanding  and  they  that  murmured 
shall  learn  doctrine." 

Here  it  will  at  once  be  perceived  that  the  Book  of  Mormon 
is  actually  the  book  predicted  by  Isaiah,  or  else  it  must  be  an 
imposture.  The  book  mentioned  by  Isaiah,  was  to  have  every 
characteristic  which  seems  to  accompany  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
Did  Isaiah  predict  that  the  "deaf  should  hear  the  words  of  the 
book,  and  the  eyes  of  the  blind  see  out  of  obscurity,  and  out  of 
darkness?"  It  has  been  fulfilled  by  the  coming  forth  of  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  Did  Isaiah  say  that  in  the  day  his  predicted 
book  should  speak  out  of  the  ground,  then  those  who  "erred  in 
spirit  should  come  to  understanding,  and  they  that  murmured 
should  learn  doctrine?"  It  has  been  fulfilled  to  the  very 
letter  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  Book  of  Mormon. 
Tens  of  thousands  of  honest  men,  who  erred  in  spirit  because 
of  the  doctrines  and  precepts  of  men,  have  come  to  under- 
standing. Many  points  of  doctrine  which  had  been  in  con- 
troversy for  ages  are  made  perfectly  plain  in  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon ;  hence  those  who  have  murmured  because  of  the  darkness 
and  obscurity  thrown  over  the  scriptures  by  human  wisdom 
and  learning,  have  "learned  doctrine."  Did  Isaiah  prophesy  that 
when  the  predicted  book  should  make  its  appearance,  that  then 
"the  house  of  Jacob  should  no  longer  be  made  ashamed,  neither 
should  the  face  of  Jacob  any  more  wax  pale?"  The  Book  of 
Mormon  has  come,  declaring  that  the  time  is  at  hand  for  the 
gathering  of  the  house  of  Jacob,  no  more  to  be  scattered.  Did 
Isaiah  predict  that  in  the  day  of  the  revelation  of  a  certain  book, 
"the  terrible  one  should  be  brought  to  nought,  the  scorner  be 
consumed,  and  all  that  watch  for  iniquity  be  cut  off;"  and 
finally,  that  "all  the  nations  who  should  fight  againt  Mount 


74  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Zion,  should  pass  away  as  the  dream  of  a  night  vision,  and  be 
destroyed  by  earthquake  and  the  flame  of  devouring  fire?"  The 
Book  of  Mormon  comes  testifying  that  the  hour  of  these  judg- 
ments is  at  hand.  And  finally,  there  is  no  circumstances  men- 
tioned by  Isaiah,  connected  with  the  revelation  and  transla- 
tion of  the  book  he  mentions,  but  what  is  connected  with  the 
Book  of  Mormon.  If  Joseph  Smith  was  an  impostor,  and 
wished  to  palm  himself  off  upon  the  world  as  the  great  prophet 
who  was  to  usher  in  the  preparatory  dispensation  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  Lord,  how  came  he  to  discover  all  these  minute  par- 
ticulars contained  in  Isaiah's  prophecy,  so  as  to  so  exactly  and 
perfectly  incorporate  in  his  great  scheme  of  imposture  each  and 
every  one  of  them  ?  If  this  illiterate  youth  was  a  deceiver,  he 
has  far  outstretched  all  the  learned  divines  or  impostors  of  the 
last  eighteen  hundred  years — he  has  made  his  great  and  ex- 
tended scheme  to  harmonize  in  every  particular,  not  only  with 
the  ancient  gospel  but  with  the  ancient  prophecies,  and  this, 
too,  so  perfectly,  that  no  one  can  detect  the  delusion.  Reader, 
does  not  such  a  scheme  savor  very  strongly  of  the  truth?  Does 
it  not  require  a  greater  effort  of  mind  to  disbelieve  such  a 
scheme  than  it  does  to  believe  it?  If  such  a  scheme  cannot  be 
credited,  where  is  there  a  scheme  or  system  in  the  whole  world 
that  can  be  credited.  Can  you  find  one  equal  to  it  in  perfec- 
tion? Can  you  find  one  that  contains  one-twentieth  part  of 
the  truth  which  this  system  contains?  If,  then  you  doubt  the 
authority  of  Mr.  Smith,  how  much  more  ought  you  to  doubt  the 
authority  of  every  other  man  now  on  the  earth?  If  Mr.  Smith's 
perfect  scheme  should  be  rejected,  surely  all  other  schemes  or 
doctrines  which  can  be  shown  to  be  ten  times  more  imperfect, 
should  also  be  rejected.  If  any  are  to  be  receivea,  surely  that 
one  should  be  received  which  seems  to  contain  all  the  elements 
of  a  true  doctrine,  and  in  which  there  cannot  be  detected  the 
least  evidence  of  imposture.  To  invent  a  scheme  apparently 
every  way  suited  to  the  last  dispensation  or  preparatory  work 
for  the  second  advent  of  our  Lord — to  have  that  scheme  agree 
in  every  minute  particular  with  the  endless  circumstances  and 
numberless  events  predicted  by  the  ancient  prophets,  be- 
speaks a  wisdom  far  superior  to  that  of  man ;  it  bespeaks  the 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  75 

wisdom  of  God.  This  endless  train  of  circumstances — all  har- 
monizing— all  combining — all  concentrating  as  it  were  into  one 
focus — carries  with  it  such  irresistible  evidence  of  truth  that  it 
is  almost  impossible  for  the  careful  investigator  to  reject  the 
divinity  of  Joseph  Smith's  mission.  Like  investigating  the 
works  of  nature,  the  more  he  examines  the  more  he  perceives 
the  wisdom  of  the  Deity  enstamped  upon  every  sentence. 

Seventh. — According  to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  all  of  the 
great  western  continent,  with  all  the  valleys,  hills  and  moun- 
tains, riches  and  resources  pertaining  thereunto,  was  given 
to  the  remnant  of  Joseph,  as  their  "land  of  promise."  The 
Almighty  sealed  this  covenant  and  promise  by  an  oath,  saying, 
that  the  land  should  be  given  unto  them  forever.  The  western 
world,  including  both  North  and  South  America,  is  the  "land 
of  promise,"  to  the  remnant  of  Joseph,  in  the  same  sense  that 
the  land  of  Palestine  is  a  promised  land  unto  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel.  Now  this  testimony  of  the  Book  of  Mormon 
agrees  most  perfectly  with  the  prophetic  blessing  placed  upon 
the  head  of  Joseph  by  the  patriarch  Jacob ;  who,  just  previous 
to  his  death,  called  together  his  sons  and  predicted  upon  each 
what  should  befall  them  or  their  tribes  "in  the  last  days."  The 
blessing  upon  the  tribe  of  Joseph  is  as  follows  (Gen.  xlix 
chap.)  :  "Joseph  is  a  fruitful  bough,  even  a  fruitful  bough  by 
a  well,  whose  branches  run  over  the  wall ;  the  archers  have 
sorely  grieved  him,  and  shot  at  him,  and  hated  him ;  but  his 
bow  abode  in  strength,  and  the  arms  of  his  hands  were  made 
strong  by  the  hands  of  the  mighty  God  of  Jacob  (from  thence 
is  the  shepherd,  the  stone  of  Israel)  ;  even  by  the  God  of  thy 
father,  who  shall  help  thee ;  and  by  the  Almighty,  who  shall 
bless  thee  with  blessings  of  heaven  above,  blessings  of  the 
deep  that  lieth  under,  blessings  of  the  breast  and  of  the  womb : 
the  blessings  of  thy  father  have  prevailed  above  the  blessings 
of  my  progenitors,  unto  the  utmost  bound  of  the  everlasting 
hills:  they  shall  be  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and  on  the  crown 
of  the  head  of  him  that  was  separate  from  his  brethren."  In 
the  preceding  chapter,  when  blessing  the  two  sons  of  Joseph, 
he  says,  "Let  them  grow  into  a  multitude  in  the  midst  of  the 
earth."  And  again,  "His  seed  shall  become  a  multitude  of 
nations."      From    this    prediction    it    will    be    perceived    that 


1(i  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Joseph  prevailed  with  God,  and  obtained  a  greater  blessing 
in  behalf  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  than  what  Abraham  and  Isaac, 
his  progenitors,  had  obtained.  While  the  blessing  of  Jacob's 
progenitors  was  limited  to  the  land  of  Palestine,  Joseph  had 
confirmed  upon  him  a  blessing,  or  country,  above,  or  far 
greater  than  Palestine — a  country  at  a  distance,  represented 
by  the  "utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting  hills."  Some  of  the 
"branches"  of  the  "fruitful  bough"  of  Joseph  were  spread  far 
abroad  from  the  parent  tree — they  were  to  "run  over  the 
wall"  of  the  mighty  ocean — they  were  to  "become  a  multitude 
of  nations  in  the  midst  of  the  earth."  There,  among  the  "ever- 
lasting hills"  they  were  to  be  "made  strong  by  the  hands  of 
the  mighty  God  of  Jacob."  It  was  to  be  there  among  the 
"multitude  of  nations"  of  the  posterity  of  Joseph,  that  the 
"Shepherd — the  stone  of  Israel"  was  to  establish  a  kingdom, 
which  should  break  in  pieces  all  other  kingdoms,  and  "fill  the 
whole  earth." 

In  America  there  is  "a  multitude  of  nations,"  called  by  us 
"Indians."  These  Indians  evidently  sprang  from  the  same 
source,  as  is  indicated  by  their  color,  features,  customs,  dia- 
lects, traditions,  etc. :  that  they  are  of  Israelitish  origin  is  also 
evident  from  their  religious  ceremonies,  their  language,  their 
traditions  and  the  discovery  of  Hebrew  inscriptions,  etc.  If 
America  is  not  the  land  given  to  a  branch  of  Joseph,  where 
or  in  what  part  of  the  globe  shall  that  tribe  receive  the  ful- 
fillment of  Jacob's  prediction?  Where,  if  not  in  America,  has 
a  land  been  peopled  by  a  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph? 
Can  a  multitude  of  the  nations  of  Joseph  be  found  in  Europe, 
Asia,  or  Africa,  or  in  any  of  the  adjoining  islands.  If  not, 
then  America  seems  to  be  the  only  place  where  that  great 
prediction  could  receive  its  accomplishment.  The  Book  of 
Mormon  testifies  that  America  is  "the  land  of  Joseph,"  given 
to  them  by  promise.  Is  not  this  an  additional  evidence  that 
Mr.  Smith  was  sent  of  God?  If  Mr.  Smith  was  an  impostor, 
how  came  he  to  discover  that  the  tribe  of  Joseph  was  to  be 
favored  so  much  above  all  the  other  tribes  of  Israel?  Perhaps 
it  may  be  replied,  that  it  was  easy  to  discover  that  from  the 
scriptures;  but,  we  ask,  why  did  not  Swedenborg,  Wesley, 
Irving,  or  some  of  the  other  impostors  of  former  times,  make 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  11 

this  scriptural  discovery,  and  incorporate  it  in  their  pretended 
dispensations?  It  would  be,  at  first,  thought  far  more  natural 
to  suppose  the  American  Indians  to  be  the  ten  lost  tribes  of 
Israel ;  indeed,  this  is  the  opinion  of  many  of  the  learned  at 
the  present  day.  Why  did  not  this  modern  prophet,  if  a  de- 
ceiver, form  his  deceptive  scheme  more  in  accordance  with 
the  opinions  of  the  learned?  or  why  should  he  choose  a  rem- 
nant of  the  tribe  of  Joseph  to  people  ancient  America?  Out 
of  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel,  why  did  he  select  only  a  branch 
of  one  tribe  to  people  this  vast  continent?  All  can  now  per- 
ceive why  the  Book  of  Mormon  should  profess  to  be  the  history 
of  a  remnant  of  one  tribe,  instead  of  being  the  history  of  the  ten 
tribes.  All  can  see,  why  America  should  be  represented  as  a 
promised  land  to  Joseph,  instead  of  being  given  to  Reuben, 
Simeon,  or  any  of  the  other  tribes.  All  can  now  see,  though 
it  was  not  seen  at  first,  that  if  the  Book  of  Mormon  was 
different  from  what  it  now  is ;  that  is,  if  it  professed  to  contain 
a  history  of  the  ten  lost  tribes;  or  if  it  had  given  the  great 
western  continent  to  any  other  people  or  to  any  other  tribe 
than  that  of  Joseph,  that  it  would  have  proved  itself  false — 
it  would  not  have  been  the  book  or  record  which  the  prophets 
predicted  should  come  forth  to  usher  in  the  great  work  of 
the  last  days.  An  impostor  would  be  obliged  to  take  into 
consideration  all  these  minute  circumstances,  many  of  which 
are  in  direct  opposition  to  the  established  traditions  of  the 
day;  yet  none  of  them  could  be  neglected  without  proving 
fatal  to  his  scheme.  But  Mr.  Smith  with  all  the  accuracy  of 
a  profound  mathematician,  has  combined  all  the  minute  ele- 
ments of  both  doctrine  and  prophecy  in  his  grand  and  wonder- 
ful scheme — nothing  is  wanting.  Whatever  department  of  his 
system  is  examined  it  will  be  found  invulnerable.  What  an 
invaluable  amount  of  evidence  to  establish  the  divine  mission 
of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith ! 

Eighth. — In  the  Book  of  Mormon  are  given  the  names  and 
locations  of  numerous  cities  of  great  magnitude,  which  once 
flourished  among  the  ancient  nations  of  America.  The  north- 
ern portions  of  South  America,  and  also  Central  America, 
were  the  most  densely  populated.  Splendid  edifices,  palaces, 
towers,  forts  and  cities  were  reared  in  all  directions.    A  care- 


78  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

ful  reader  of  that  interesting  book  can  trace  the  relative  bear- 
ings, and  distances  of  many  of  these  cities  from  each  other; 
and  if  acquainted  with  the  present  geographical  features  of 
the  country,  he  can,  by  the  descriptions  given  in  that  book, 
determine,  very  nearly,  the  precise  spot  of  ground  they  once 
occupied.  Nov^,  since  that  invaluable  book  made  its  appear- 
ance in  print,  it  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  the  mouldering  ruins 
of  many  splendid  edifices  and  towers,  and  magnificent  cities 
of  great  extent,  have  been  discovered  by  Catherwood  and 
Stephens  in  the  interior  wilds  of  Central  America,  in  the  very 
region  where  the  ancient  cities  described  in  the  Book  of 
Mormon  were  said  to  exist.  Here,  then,  is  a  certain  and 
indisputable  evidence  that  this  illiterate  youth — the  translator 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  was  inspired  of  God.  Mr.  Smith's 
translation  describes  the  region  of  country  where  great  and 
populous  cities  anciently  existed,  together  with  their  relative 
bearings  and  approximate  distances  from  each  other.  Years 
after,  Messrs.  Catherwood  and  Stephens  discovered  the  ruins 
of  forty-four  of  these  very  cities  and  in  the  very  place  de- 
scribed. What,  but  the  power  of  God,  could  have  revealed 
beforehand  this  unknown  fact,  demonstrated  years  after  by 
actual  discovery? 

Ninth. — The  fulfillment  of  a  vast  number  of  prophecies 
delivered  by  Mr.  Smith  is  another  infallible  evidence  of  his 
divine  mission.  Out  of  the  many  hundreds  of  fulfilled  pre- 
dictions uttered  by  him  we  select  the  following  as  examples : 

1.  Soon  after  Mr.  Smith  found  the  plates  he  commenced 
translating  them.  He  had  not  proceeded  far  before  he  dis- 
covered from  his  own  translation  the  prophecy  of  Nephi,  as 
before  quoted,  the  three  witnesses,  besides  himself,  should  be- 
hold the  book  by  the  power  of  God,  and  should  know  and 
testify  of  its  truth.  Some  length  of  time  after  this,  or  in 
the  month  of  June,  A.  D.  1829,  the  Lord  gave  a  revelation, 
through  Mr.  Smith,  to  Oliver  Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and 
Martin  Harris,  promising  them  that  if  they  would  exercise 
faith,  they  should  have  a  view  of  the  plates,  and  also  of  the 
Urim  and  Thummim.  This  prediction  was  afterwards  fulfilled ; 
and  these  three  persons  sent  forth  their  written  testimony, 
in  connection  with  the  Book  of  Mormon,  to  all  nations,  kin- 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  79 

dreds,  tongues  and  people,  declaring  that  an  angel  of  God 
descended  from  heaven,  and  took  the  plates  and  exhibited  them 
before  their  eyes;  and  that  at  the  same  time,  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  from  the  heavens  testified  to  them  of  the  truth  contained 
in  Mr.  Smith's  translation  of  these  records.  Now  an  impostor 
might  indeed  predict  the  raising  of  three  witnesses,  but  he 
could  never  call  down  an  angel  from  heaven,  in  the  presence 
of  these  witnesses,  to  fulfill  his  prediction. 

2.  Before  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
had  any  existence  upon  the  earth,  the  prophecy  of  Moroni 
was  translated  and  printed  in  "the  Book  of  Mormon.  It  is 
expressly  predicted  in  this  prophecy,  that  in  the  day  that  that 
book  should  be  revealed,  "the  blood  of  the  Saints  should  cry 
unto  the  Lord  from  the  ground,"  because  of  the  wickedness 
of  the  people,  and  that  the  "time  should  soon  come  when," 
because  of  the  cries  and  mourning  of  "widows  and  orphans," 
whose  hubands  and  fathers  should  be  slain  by  wicked  hands, 
"the  Lord  should  avenge  the  blood  of  his  Saints."  And  again, 
in  August,  1831,  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  Mr.  Smith, 
saying  that  "the  Saints  should  be  scourged  from  city  to  city, 
and  from  synagogue  to  synagogue,"  and  that  but  few  of  those 
then  in  the  Church  should  "stand  to  receive  an  inheritance." 
(See  Book  of  Doctrine  and  Covenants,  page  235.)  The  blood  of 
many  hundreds  of  Saints  who  have  been  slain  and  martyred  in 
this  Church  is  an  incontrovertible  evidence  of  the  truth  of  the 
prediction.  Surely  Mr.  Smith  must  have  been  a  prophet  of 
God  to  have  foreseen  not  only  the  rise  of  the  Church  of  the 
Saints,  but  that  their  blood  should  cry  aloud  from  the  ground 
for  vengeance  upon  the  nation  who  should  perpetrate  these 
bloody  deeds.  No  human  foresight  could  have  seen  the 
bloody  sceneries  that  were  to  take  place  after  the  rise  of  the 
Church.  All  natural  appearances  in  the  United  States  were 
against  the  fulfillment  of  this  dreadful  prediction.  Every 
religious  society  throughout  the  whole  country  was  strongly 
guarded  against  persecution  and  religious  intolerance  by  the 
strong  arm  of  the  civil  law.  The  glorious  constitution  of  this 
great  and  free  people  proclaimed  religious  freedom  to  every 
son  and  daughter  of  Columbia's  soil :  yet,  in  the  midst  of  this 
boasted  land  of  freedom  and  religious  rights,  where  universal 


80  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

peace  seemed  to  have  selected  her  quiet  dwelling-place,  the 
voice  of  the  great  prophet  is  heard  predicting  the  rise  of  the 
Latter-day  Church,  and  the  bloody  persecutions  that  should 
follow  her  "from  city  to  city,  and  from  synagogue  to  syna- 
gogue." Never  were  there  any  prophecies  more  literally  and 
palpably  fulfilled  since  the  creation  of  the  earth.  If  the 
foretelling  of  future  events  that  could  not  possibly  have  been 
foreseen  by  human  wisdom — events,  too,  that  to  all  outward 
appearances  were  very  unlikely  to  come  to  pass :  if  the  pre- 
dicting of  such  events  and  their  subsequent  fulfillment  con- 
stitutes a  true  prophet,  then  Joseph  Smith  must  have  been 
a  true  prophet,  and  if  a  true  prophet,  he  must  have  been 
sent  of  God. 

Tenth. — There  are  many  thousands  of  living  witnesses 
who  testify  that  God  has  revealed  unto  them  the  truth  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  by  dreams,  by  visions,  by  the  revelations 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  the  ministering  of  angels,  and  by  His 
own  voice.  Now,  if  Mr.  Smith  is  an.  impostor,  all  these  wit- 
nesses must  be  impostors  also.  Perhaps  it  may  be  said,  that 
these  witnesses  are  not  impostors,  but  are  deceived  themselves. 
But,  we  ask,  can  any  man  testify  that  he  knows  a  false  doc- 
trine to  be  true,  and  still  not  be  an  impostor?  Men  frequently 
are  deceived  when  they  testify  their  opinions,  but  never  de- 
ceived when  they  testify  they  have  a  knowledge.  Such  must 
either  be  impostors,  or  else  their  doctrine  must  be  true.  Now, 
would  it  not  be  marvelously  strange  indeed  if  even  three  or 
four  men,  who  were  entirely  disconnected,  being  strangers 
to  each  other,  should  all  undertake  to  deceive  mankind  by 
testifying  that  an  angel  of  God  had  descended  before  them, 
or  that  a  heavenly  vision  had  been  shown  to  them,  or  that 
God  had  in  some  other  marvelous  way  manifested  to  them 
the  divine  authenticity  of  the  Book  of  Mormon?  If  the  testi- 
mony of  three  or  four  impostors  would  appear  marvelous, 
how  infinitely  more  marvelous  would  appear  the  testimony  of 
tens  of  thousands  of  impostors  in  different  countries,  widely 
separated  from  each  other,  and  who  never  saw  each  others 
faces,  and  yet  all  endeavoring  to  palm  upon  the  world  the 
same  great  imposition!  If  many  thousands  of  witnesses  do 
testify  boldly,  with  words  of  soberness,  that  God  has  revealed 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  81 

to  them  that  this  is  His  church  or  kingdom  that  was  to  be 
set  up  in  the  last  days,  then  we  have  an  overwhelming  flood 
of  collateral  evidences  to  establish  the  divine  mission  of 
Joseph  Smith. 

Eleventh. — The  miracles  wrought  by  Joseph  Smith  are 
evidences  of  no  small  moment  to  establish  his  divine  authority. 
In  the  name  of  the  Lord  he  cast  out  devils,  healed  the  sick, 
spoke  with  new  tongues,  interpreted  ancient  languages,  and 
predicted  future  events.  Many  of  these  miracles  were  wrought 
before  numerous  multitudes  of  both  believers  and  unbelievers, 
and  upon  persons  not  connected  with  our  Church.  And  again, 
the  numerous  miracles  wrought  through  the  instrumentality  of 
thousands  of  the  officers  and  members  of  this  Church,  are 
additional  evidences  that  the  man  who  was  instrumental  in 
founding  the  Church  must  have  been  sent  of  God.  The 
thousands  of  sick  that  have  been  miraculously  healed  in  all 
parts  of  the  world  where  this  gospel  is  preached  give  forth 
a  strong  and  almost  irrisistable  testimony -that  Mr.  Smith's 
authority  is  "from  heaven."  Although  the  great  majority  of 
mankind  consider  miracles  to  be  an  infallible  evidence  in  favor 
of  the  divine  authority  of  the  one  who  performs  them,  yet  we 
do  most  distinctly  dissent  from  this  idea.  If  miracles  be 
admitted  as  an  infallible  evidence,  then  all  that  have  ever 
wrought  miracles  must  have  been  sent  of  God.  The  magicians 
of  Egypt  wrought  some  splendid  miracles  before  that  nation; 
they  created  serpents  and  frogs,  and  turned  rivers  of  water 
into  blood.  If  miraculous  evidence  is  infallible,  the  Egyptians 
were  bound  to  receive  the  contradictory  messages  of  both 
Moses  and  the  magicians  as  of  divine  authority.  According 
to  this  idea,  the  witch  of  Endor  must  have  established  her 
divine  mission  beyond  all  controversy  by  calling  forth  a  dead 
man  from  the  grave  in  the  presence  of  Saul,  King  of  Israel. 
A  certain  wicked  power  described  by  John  (Rev.  xiii  chap.) 
was  to  do  "great  wonders"  and  "miracles,"  and  cause  "fire 
to  come  down  from  heaven  on  the  earth  in  the  sight  of  men." 
If  miracles  were  infallible  evidences,  surely  no  one  should 
reject  the  divine  authority  of  John's  beast.  Again  in  (Rev. 
xvi  chap.)  "John  saw  three  unclean  spirits  like  frogs,"  which 
he  expressly  says,  are  the  spirits  of  devils-  working  miracles, 


82  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

which  go  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of  the  whole 
world  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that  great  day  of  God 
Almighty."    The  learned  divines  and  clergy  of  the  nineteenth 
century  boldly   declare   that   "miracles   are   an   infallible   evi- 
dence of  the  divine  mission  of  the  one  who  performs  them." 
If  so,  who  can  blame  *'the  kings  of  the  earth,"  and  these 
learned   divines,   and   all    their   followers   for   embracing   the 
message  of  these  divinely  inspired  devils?     For,  according  to 
their  arguments,  they  should  in  no  wise  reject  them,  for  they 
prove  their  mission  by  evidences  which  they  say  are  infallible. 
We  shall  expect  in  a  few  years,  to  see  an  innumerable  host 
of  sectarian  ministers,  as  well  as  kings,  taking  up. their  line  of 
march  for  the  great  "valley  of  Armageddon,"  near  Jerusalem, 
and  thus  prove  by  their  works  that  they  do  really  believe 
in  the  infallibility  of  miraculous  evidence.     Devils  can  work 
miracles  as  well  as  God,  and  as  they  have  already  persuaded 
the  religious  world  that  miracles  are  infallible  evidences  of 
divine  authority,  they  will  not  have  much  difficulty  among 
the   followers   of   modern    Christianity    in    establishing    the 
divinit}^  of  their  mission.     But  the  Latter-day  Saints  do  not 
believe  in  the  infallibility  of  miraculous  evidence.    We  believe 
the  miraculous  gifts  are  absolutely  necessary  in  the  church 
of  Christ,  without  which  it  cannot  exist  on  the  earth.    Miracles, 
when  taken  in  connection  with  a  pure,  holy,  and  perfect  doc- 
trine, reasonable  and  scriptural,  is  a  very  strong  collateral 
evidence  in  favor  of  that  doctrine,  and  of  the  divine  authority 
of  those  who  preach  it.     But  abstract  miracles  alone,  uncon- 
nected with  other  evidences,  instead  of  being  infallible  proofs 
are  no  proofs  at  all :   they  are  as  likely  to  be  false  as  true.    So 
baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sins"  is  essential  in  the  church 
of  Christ,  and  when  taken  in  connection  with  all  other  points 
of  doctrine  embraced  in  the  gospel,  is  a  presumptive  evidence 
for  the  divine  authority  of  the  person  who  preaches  it.     But 
baptism  "for  the  remission  of  sins,"  unconnected  with  other 
parts  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  would  be  no  evidence  either 
for  or  against  the  divine  authority  of  any  man.     The  many 
thousands  of  miracles  wrought  in  this  Church,  being  connected 
as  they  are  with  an  infallible  doctrine,  and  with  a  vast  numbet* 
of  other  proofs,  have  carried  an  almost  irresistible  conviction 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  83 

to  the  minds  of  vast  multitudes,  who  have,  in  consequence, 
yielded  obedience  to  the  message,  and  become  in  their  turn 
the  happy  recipients  of  the  same  power  of  God,  by  which  they 
themselves  can  also  heal  the  sick  and  work  by  faith  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord :  thus  demonstrating  to  themselves  the  truth 
of  the  Savior's  promise,  viz. :  that  certain  miraculous  "signs 
shall  follow  them  that  believe."     (See  Mark,  chapter  xvi.) 

There  is  one  thing  connected  with  Joseph  Smith's  message 
which  will  at  once  prove  him  to  be  an  impostor  or  else  a  true 
prophet.  It  is  a  certain  promise  contained  in  a  revelation 
which  was  given  through  him  to  the  apostles  of  this  Church 
in  the  year  1832.    It  reads  as  follows : 

"Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  whatsoever  place  ye  cannot 
go  into  ye  shall  send,  that  the  testimony  may  go  from  you 
into  all  the  world  unto  every  creature. 

"And  as  I  said  unto  mine  apostles,  even  so  I  say  unto 
you,  for  you  are  mine  apostles,  even  God's  high  priests ;  ye  are 
they  whom  my  Father  hath  given  me- — ye  are  my  friends ; 

"Therefore,  as  I  said  unto  mine  apostles  I  say  unto  you 
again,  that  every  soul  who  believeth  on  your  words,  and  that 
is  baptized  by  water  for  the  remission  of  sins,  shall  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost;  ^ 

"And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe. 
"In  my  name  they  shall  do  many  wonderful  works ; 
"In  my  name  they  shall  cast  out  devils ; 
"In  my  name  they  shall  heal  the  sick ; 

"In  my  name  they  shall  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and 
unstop  the  ears  of  the  deaf; 

"And  the  tongue  of  the  dumb  shall  speak ; 
"And  if  any  man  shall  administer  poison  unto  them  it 
shall  not  hurt  them ; 

"And  the  poison  of  the  serpent  shall  not  have  power  to 
harm  them.  ^  ^  ^\=  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you  they 
who  believe  not  on  your  words,  and  are  not  baptized  in  water, 
in  my  name,  for  the  remission  of  their  sins,  that  they  may 
receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  shall  be  damned,  and  shall  not  come 
into  my  Father's  kingdom,  where  my  Father  and  I  am. 

"And  this  revelation  unto  you,  and  commandment,  is  in 
force  from  this  very  hour  upon  all  the  world."  (Doctrine  and 
Covenants,  page  294,  295.) 


84  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Here,  then,  this  great  modern  prophet  has  presented  him- 
self before  the  whole  world  with  a  bold  unequivocal  promise 
to  every  soul  who  would  believe  on  his  message — a  promise, 
too,  that  no  impostor  would  dare  to  make  with  the  most  distant 
hope  of  success.  An  impostor  might  indeed  make  such  a  promise 
to  his  followers,  but  they  never  would  realize  a  fulfillment  of 
it.  If  these  miraculous  signs  have  not  followed  according  to 
the  above  promise,  then  the  tens  of  thousands  who  have  com- 
plied with  the  conditions  would  know  Joseph  Smith  to  be 
an  impostor,  and  with  one  accord  would  turn  away,  and  that 
would  be  the  end  of  the  imposition.  But  the  very  fact  that 
vast  multitudes  are  annually  being  added  to  the  Church,  and 
continue  therein  year  after  year,  is  a  demonstrative  evidence 
that  the  promise  is  fulfilled — that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  given, 
and  the  miraculous  signs  also.  Dare  any  other  societies  in 
all  the  world  make  such  a  promise  unto  the  believers  in  their 
respective  systems?  No,  they  dare  not;  they  know  full  well 
that  it  would  be  the  speedy  downfall  and  utter  overthrow  of 
their  vain,  unauthorized,  and  powerless  religions.  O,  what 
a  wide  and  marked  difference  between  the  religion  of  Joseph 
Smith  and  that  of  the  Protestant  and  Catholic  religions — 
between  his  authority  and  that  of  sectarian  divines!  The  one 
promises  all  the  miraculous  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  his 
followers,  the  other  is  as  powerless  as  the  dry  stubble  pre- 
pared for  the  burning.  While  the  followers  of  this  great 
prophet  cast  out  devils,  speak  with  new  tongues,  heal  the 
sick,  open  the  eyes  of  the  blind,  cause  the  lame  to  walk,  obtain 
heavenly  visions,  and  converse  with  angels,  the  followers  of 
those  unauthorized,  deluded  and  crafty  sects  not  only  deny 
these  great  and  glorious  gifts,  or  impute  them  in  these  days 
to  the  power  of  the  devil,  but  they  grasp  the  sword,  and  fire- 
arms, and  deadly  weapons,  to  kill  off  the  Saints,  and  drive  them 
from  the  face  of  what  they  call  civilized  society.  While  the 
one  class  are  suffering  martyrdom  by  scores  for  their  testi- 
mony, the  other  class  are  rolling  in  all  the  luxuries  and  splen- 
dors of  great  Babylon,  with  fat  salaries  of  from  ten  to  twenty- 
seven  thousand  pounds  sterling  per  annum. 

As  we  have  briefly  examined  into  the  nature  of  the 
evidence  in  favor  of  Joseph  Smith's  divine  mission,  it  may 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  85 

be  well  at  the  close  of  this  number  to  give  a  short  summary 
of  the  proofs  and  arguments  contained  in  the  foregoing. 

L  Joseph  Smith's  doctrine  is  reasonable,  scriptural,  per- 
fect and  infallible  in  all  its  precepts,  commands,  ordinances, 
promises,  blessings  and  gifts.  In  his  organization  of  the 
Church,  no  officer  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  organiza- 
tion is  omitted.  Inspired  apostles  and  prophets  are  considered 
as  necessary  as  pastors,  teachers,  or  any  other  officer. 

2.  Joseph  Smith's  account  of  the  restoration  of  the  gospel 
by  an  angel — of  his  taking  out  of  the  ground  the  restoration 
of  the  gospel  by  an  angel — of  his  taking  out  of  the  ground  the 
sacred  records  of  the  tribe  of  Joseph — of  their  subsequent 
translation  by  the  gift  of  God — and  of  the  great  western 
continent's  being  given  to  a  remnant  of  Joseph,  where 
they  have  grown  into  a  multitude  of  nations,  are  all  events 
clearly  predicted  by  the  ancient  Jewish  apostles  and  prophets, 
together  with  the  minute  circumstances  connected  therewith. 
The  times  and  seasons  in  which  these  events  should  transpire, 
and  the  purposes  which  they  should  accomplish  are  also  all 
plainly  foretold.  Joseph  Smith  presents  the  world  with  the 
fulfillment  at  the  predicted  time — in  the  predicted  manner — 
and  for  the  predicted  purpose  as  anciently  specified. 

3.  Joseph  Smith  incorporates  in  his  mission  the  gather- 
ing of  the  Saints  out  of  Babylon,  and  every  other  predicted 
event  that  was  to  characterize  the  great  preparatory  dispensa- 
tion for  the  second  advent  of  our  Lord. 


86  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD, 

By  Orson  Pratt 

One  of  the  Twelve  Apostles  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 

Latter-day  Saints. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Nature  and  Character  of  the  King — The  Character  and 
Requisite  Qualifications  of  the  Subordinate  Officers. 

The  kingdom  of  God  is  an  order  of  government  established 
by  divine  authority.  It  is  the  only  legal  government  that 
can  exist  in  any  part  of  the  universe.  All  other  governments 
are  illegal  and  unauthorized.  God,  having  made  all  beings 
and  worlds,  has  the  supreme  right  to  govern  them  by  His 
own  laws  and  by  officers  of  His  own  appointment.  Any 
people  attempting  to  govern  themselves  by  law  of  their  own 
making,  and  by  officers  of  their  own  appointment,  are  in 
direct  rebellion  against  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  antedi- 
luvians were  overthrown  by  a  flood,  because  they  rejected 
the  government  of  the  Almighty,  and  instituted  their  own 
government  in  its  subjects  to  the  legal  power :  they  alone 
were  saved.  The  universal  dissolution  and  utter  abolishment 
of  all  the  unauthorized  men  made  governments  of  the  old 
world,  should  have  been  an  everlasting  warning  to  all  future 
generations  to  avoid  the  same  rebellion,  and  to  establish 
no  governments  on  the  earth  of  human  origin.  But  alas! 
the  posterity  of  Noah  soon  revolted  from  the  only  legal, 
rightful  power,  and  set  up  for  themselves  forms  of  govern- 
ments of  their  own  inventions.  The  rebellion  soon  became  so 
general,  that  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  except  Melchize- 
dek,  Abraham,  Lot,  and  a  very  few  others,  engaged  themselves 
in  supporting  and  upholding  kings  and  other  officers  in  their 
usurped  authority,  and  suffering  themselves  to  be  governed 
by  human  laws,  instead  of  revealed  laws  from  God.  From 
that  time  until  the  present,  empires,  kingdoms,  principalities, 
republics,  and  numerous  other  corrupt,  illegal,  unauthorized 
powers  have  multiplied  themselves  in  the  four  quarters  of 
the  globe. 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  87 

At  various  times  during  the  last  four  thousand  years,  God 
has  asserted  His  rights,  and  endeavored  to  establish  His  own 
authority.  His  own  laws  and  His  own  government  among  the 
children  of  men.  But  so  great  was  the  opposition  manifested 
by  those  illegal,  exceedingly  limited  in  numbers.  The  vast 
majority  of  mankind  made  war  against  it — overcame,  killed, 
and  destroyed  its  officers  and  loyal  subjects,  until  not  a  vestige 
of  it  was  left  remaining  on  the  earth.  For  seventeen  hundred 
years  the  nations,  upon  the  eastern  hemisphere  have  been 
entirely  destitute  of  the  Kingdom  of  God — entirely  destitute 
of  a  true  and  legal  government — entirely  destitute  of  officers 
legally  authorized  to  rule  and  govern.  All  the  emperors, 
kings,  princes,  presidents,  lords  and  rulers,  during  that  long 
night  of  darkness,  have  acted  without  authority.  Not  one 
of  them  was  called  or  anointed  a  king  or  a  prince  by  the 
God  of  Heaven — not  one  of  them  received  his  office  or  ap- 
pointment by  him — not  one  of  them  has  received  revelations 
or  laws  from  him — not  one  of  them  has  received  any  com- 
munication whatsoever  from  the  rightful  sovereign,  the  great 
King.  Their  laws  are  not  from  governments.  Their  very 
foundations  were  laid  in  rebellion,  and  the  whole  superstruc- 
ture, from  first  to  last,  is  a  heterogenous  mass  of  discordant 
elements,  in  direct  opposition  to  the  Kingdom  of  God,  which 
is  the  only  true  government  which  should  be  recognized  on 
earth  or  in  heaven. 

The  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  theocracy.  And  as  it  is  the 
only  form  of  government  which  will  redeem  and  save  man- 
kind, it  is  necessary  that  every  soul  should  be  rightly  and 
thoroughly  instructed  in  regard  to  its  nature  and  general 
characteristics.  The  beauty,  glory,  power,  wisdom  and  order 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  may  be  more  fully  understood  by  a 
careful  examination  of  the  following  subjects. 

First.— The  nature  and  character  of  the  King. 

Second. — The  character  and  requisite  qualifications  of  the 
subordinate  officers. 

Third. — The  nature  and  character  of  the  laws  of  adoption, 
or  the  invariable  rule  by  which  aliens  are  admitted  into  the 
Kingdom  as  citizens. 


88  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

Fourth. — The  nature  and  character  of  the  laws  given  for 
the  government  of  all  adopted  citizens. 

Fifth. — The  character,  disposition,  and  qualifications 
necessary  for  every  citizen  to  possess. 

Sixth. — The  rights,  privileges,  and  blessings  enjoyed  by 
the  subjects  in  this  life. 

Seventh. — The  rights,  privileges,  and  blessings  promised 
to  the  faithful,  obedient  subjects  in  a  future  life. 

Dear  reader,  your  future  well-being  in  all  time  to  come 
depends  upon  your  rightly  understanding  these  seven  subjects. 
Read,  therefore,  with  serious  attention,  and  your  mind  shall 
be  opened  to  see  things  that  you  never  saw  before ;  things, 
too,  of  infinite  importance,  without  which  you  can  in  no  wise 
be  saved.    Let  us  begin  by  examining — 

First. — ^The  nature  and  character  of  the  King.  God  is 
the  King.  In  Him  exists  all  legal  authority.  He  alone  has 
the  right  of  originating  a  system  of  government  on  the  earth. 
He  claims  this  right  by  virtue  of  His  having  made  man  and 
the  earth  he  inhabits.  Man,  therefore,  is  indebted  to  God 
for  his  own  formation  and  for  the  formation  of  the  planet  on 
which  he  dwells.  He  also  claims  the  right  of  establishing 
His  government  among  men  by  virtue  of  His  superior  wisdom 
and  power.  If  God  had  sufficient  wisdom  and  power  to 
construct  such  a  beautiful  world  as  this,  with  all  the  infinite 
varieties  of  vegetables  and  animals  appended  to  it;  if  He 
could  form  such  an  intricate  and  complicated  piece  of  ma- 
chinery as  the  human  tabernacle  as  a  dwelling-place  for  the 
human  spirit,  then  we  must  admit  that  His  wisdom  and  power 
are  immeasurably  greater  than  that  of  man,  and  hence  He 
is  qualified  to  reign  as  King  of  an  order  of  government,  estab- 
lished by  such  an  all-wise  power-being,  must  be  good  and 
perfect,  and  must  be  calculated  to  promote  the  permanent 
peace,  happiness  and  well  being  of  all  His  subjects.  The 
great  King  is  a  very  amiable  being,  full  of  benevolence  and 
goodness,  and  never  turns  any  person  away  empty,  that  comes 
requesting  a  favor  which  He  sees  would  be  for  his  benefit. 

The  king  occasionally  visited  His  subjects  in  ancient 
times,  and  once  tarried  with  them  for  several  years ;  but  He 
received  such  cruel  abuse  from  many  of  the  people  that  He 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  89 

left  them,  and  went  to  some  other  part  of  His  dominions. 
Where  the  King  is  gone  the  people  cannot  tell.  They  have 
not  heard  one  word  from  Him  for  upwards  of  seventeen 
hundred  years.  He  has  been  absent  so  long,  that  some  of  the 
people  have  doubted  ever  His  existence.  They  have  argued 
that  if  He  did  exist,  that  some  one  would  very  likely  have 
heard  something  from  him  in  the  course  of  so  many  centuries. 
Many  millions,  however,  have  some  idea  that  He  exists,  and 
are  constantly  sending  all  kinds  of  petitions  to  Him ;  but  for 
some  reason  He  sends  no  word  back.  No  messengers  are 
dispatched  to  the  petitioners  to  give  them  any  counsel  upon 
any  subject.  It  has  become  a  very  popular  thing  to  send  daily 
petitions  to  the  King,  and  to  appropriate  one  day  out  of  seven 
for  the  especial  purpose  of  sending  in  their  petitions.  The 
same  petitions  are  frequently  sent  a  great  number  of  times.  It 
is  very  unpopular,  however,  for  any  one  to  expect  the  King 
to  make  any  reply  to  any  petitions  sent  in.  Any  one  pretend- 
ing to  have  received  a  reply  would  be  counted  a  base  impostor ; 
for,  say  they,  the  King  has  spoken  to  no  one  for  the  last 
seventeen  hundred  years ;  no  one  has  heard  from  Him  since 
He  conversed  with  His  servant  John  on  the  isle  of  Patmos. 
The  King  conversed  very  freely  with  His  subjects  in  the 
early  and  middle  ages ;  and  some  think  it  very  strange  that  He 
has  been  silent  so  long.  They  have  expended  millions  in 
building  many  costly  and  magnificent  churches  in  honor  of 
His  name :  but  yet  He  has  not  deigned  to  grace  one  of  them 
with  a  visit,  neither  has  He  condescended  to  send  any  tidings 
to  them  by  a  messenger  or  otherwise.  He  has  not  informed 
them  whether  He  was  pleased  or  displeased  with  their  splendid 
edifices.  His  profound  silence  for  so  many  centuries  has 
caused  many  to  think,  that  He  was,  for  some  reason,  very 
angry  with  the  people ;  yet  they  could  not  see  why  He  should 
be  angry  when  the  people  were  doing  so  much  honor  to  Him— 
when  they  were  expending  millions  to  hire  learned  men  to 
preach  and  write  in  such  an  eloquent  manner  about  Him. 

Reader,  can  you  tell  why  the  King  should  be  so  distant? 
Why  He  holds  no  communication  with  any  of  the  people?  Why 
has  He  not  sent  one  sentence  of  consolation  or  counsel  to 
them?     Why  has  He  suffered  some  fifteen  thousand  millions 


90  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

of  the  human  race  to  fall  into  their  graves,  in  the  latter  ages 
without  condescending  to  speak  one  word  to  any  of  them? 
There  must  be  some  cause  for  all  this.  There  must  be  some- 
thing wrong.  The  King  never  formerly  served  His  people 
in  this  manner;  and  when  He  went  away,  He  left  word  that 
if  any  of  His  people  lacked  wisdom  or  knowledge  on  any 
subject,  they  should  send  in  their  petition  to  Him,  and  He 
would  liberally  send  them  the  requisite    information. 

I  will  now  tell  you  the  reason  why  the  King  has  kept 
silence  so  long.  It  is  because  He  has  had  no  subjects  to 
converse  with ;  all  have  turned  away  from  Him  and  advocated 
other  governments  as  being  the  rightful  and  legal  authority. 
They  killed  off  and  utterly  destroyed,  every  true  subject  of 
His  kingdom  and  left  not  a  vestige  of  it  upon  the  earth ;  and, 
to  add  to  their  guilt  and  wickedness,  they  have  introduced 
idolatry  in  its  worst  forms,  and  utterly  turned  away  from  the 
true  and  living  God.  They  have  introduced  a  God  without 
BODY,  PARTS  or  PASSIONS.  They  have  had  the  audacity 
to  call  this  newly-invented  god  by  the  same  name  as  the  God 
of  the  ancient  saints,  although  there  is  not  the  least  resem- 
blance between  them.  Indeed  there  could  be  no  resemblance 
between  them ;  for  a  bodiless  god,  without  parts  or 
passions,  could  resemble  nothing  in  heaven,  on  earth,  or  in 
hell.  This  imaginary  modern  god  has  become  exceedingly 
popular.  It  is  to  him  that  a  vast  number  of  churches  have 
been  erected.  It  is  not  to  the  true  and  living  God  that  they 
send  forth  petitions,  but  it  is  to  this  imaginary  being.  No 
wonder  that  they  have  received  no  communication  from  him ! 
No  wonder  he  has  not  honored  them  with  a  visit.  As  he  has 
no  PARTS,  he  could  neither  be  felt  nor  seen  if  he  should 
visit  them.  Such  a  being  could  not  speak  for  he  has  no 
"parts"  to  speak  with. 

There  have  been  various  species  of  idolatry  in  different 
ages  of  the  world.  The  sun,  moon,  stars,  beasts,  crocodiles, 
frightful  serpents,  images  of  wood,  of  stone,  and  of  brass, 
have  been  erected  into  gods,  and  worshipped  by  innumerable 
multitudes.  But  the  system  of  idolatry,  invented  by  modern 
Christianity,  far  surpasses  in  absurdity  anything  that  we  have 
ever   heard   of.  *  One   of  the   celebrated   worshippers   of   this 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  91 

newly-discovered  god,  in  his  "Physical  Theory  of  Another 
Life,"  says,  ''Disembodied  spirit,  or  we  would  rather  say, 
an  iinembodied  spirit,  or  sheer  mind,  in  NOWHERE.  Place  is 
a  relation  belonging  to  extension ;  and  extension  is  a  property 
of  matter,  and  in  speaking  of  which  we  deny  that  it  has  any 
property  in  common  therewith,  can  in  itself  be  subject  to  none 
of  its  conditions ;  and  we  might  as  well  say  of  a  pure  spirit 
that  it  is  heard,  heavy,  or  red,  or  that  it  is  a  cubic  foot  in 
dimensions  as  say  that  it  is  here  or  there.  It  is  only  in  a  popu- 
lar and  improper  sense  that  any  such  affirmation  is  made 
concerning  the  Infinite  Spirit,  or  that  we  speak  of  God  as 
everywhere  present.  God  is  in  every  place  in  a  sense,  alto- 
gether incomprehensible  to  finite  minds,  inasmuch  as  His 
relation  to  space  and  extension  is  peculiar  to  inginitude.  Using 
the  terms  as  we  use  them  of  ourselves,  God  is  not  here  or 
there,  any  more  than  he  exists  now  and  then."  This  species 
of  idolatry,  according  to  the  foregoing  quotations,  approaches 
so  near  to  atheism,  that  no  one  can  tell  the  difference.  Reader, 
can  you  see  the  difference?  A  god  without  a  body!  A  god 
without  parts !  A  god  that  cannot  be  here  or  there !  A  god 
that  is  NOWHERE!  A  god  that  cannot  exist  NOW  and 
THEN!  A  god  that  exists  in  NO  TIME!  A  god  that  has 
no  extension — no  "parts" — no  conceivable  relation  to  time  or 
space!  Some,  perhaps,  may  think  that  I  have  not  sufficient 
charity.  But  why  should  I  have  charity  for  a  god  that  has 
not  parts — no  relation  to  space?  Let  him  first  have  charity  for 
himself.  But  this  could  be  impossible ;  for  he  is  a  god  without 
passions.  He  can  have  no  charity  nor  love  for  himself  nor 
anyone  else.  There  is  no  danger  of  offending  him ;  for  a 
passionless  god  is  not  capable  of  anger.  One  of  the  persons 
of  this  imaginary  god  is  said  to  have  been  crucified.  But 
this  must  be  a  sad  mistake;  for  it  would  be  impossible  to 
crucify  a  portion  of  something  that  had  no  parts.  The  reason, 
then,  why  the  people  have  not  received  any  word  from  the 
Great  God  is  because  they  have  petitioned  the  wrong  god. 
Would  you  expect  her  majesty,  the  Queen  of  England,  to 
answer  your  petition  if  it  were  directed  to  some  African 
prince?  Would  you  expect  the  God  of  Heaven  to  answer  a 
petition  that  was  addressed  to  a  Hindoo  god?     If,  then,  your 


92  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

petitions  are  addressed  to  the  bodiless,  passionless  god  of 
modern  Christianity,  you  must  not  be  surprised  if  the  true 
God  does  not  pay  any  attention  to  them.  You  need  not  expect 
that  the  true  God  will  make  any  reply  to  petitions  offered  to 
any  other  being. 

The  true  God  exists  both  in  time  and  in  space,  and  has  as 
much  relation  to  them  as  man  or  any  other  being.  He  has 
extension,  and  form,  and  dimensions,  as  well  as  man.  He 
occupies  space ;  has  a  body,  parts,  and  passions ;  can  go  from 
place  to  place — can  eat,  drink,  and  talk,  as  well  as  man.  Man 
resembles  Him  in  the  features  and  form  of  his  body,  and  he 
does  not  differ  materially  in  size.  When  He  has  been  seen 
among  men.  He  has  been  pronounced,  even  by  the  witches,  as 
one  of  their  own  species.  So  much  did  He  look  like  man,  that 
some  supposed  Him  to  be  the  carpenter's  son.  Like  man.  He 
had  a  Father ;  and  He  was  the  express  image  of  the  person  of 
the  Father.  The  two  persons  were  as  much  alike  in  form,  in 
size,  and  in  every  other  respect  as  fathers  and  sons  are  of 
the  human  race ;  indeed,  the  human  race  are  His  offspring, 
made  in  his  likeness  and  image,  not  after  His  moral  image, 
but  after  the  image  of  His  person.  There  is  no  such  thing 
as  moral  image.  Such  an  image  cannot  exist.  Morality  is  a 
property  of  some  being  or  substance.  A  property  without  a 
substance  or  being  to  which  it  appertains  is  inconceivable. 
A  property  can  never  have  figure,  shape,  or  image  of  any 
kind.  Hence,  a  moral  image  never  had  an  existence  except 
in  the  brains  of  modern  idolators. 

The  Godhead  consists  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  Father  is  a  material  being.  The  substance 
of  which  He  is  composed  is  wholly  material.  It  is  a  substance 
widely  different,  in  some  respects,  from  the  various  substances 
with  which  we  are  more  immediately  acquainted.  In  other 
respects  it  is  precisely  like  all  other  materials.  The  substance 
of  His  person  occupies  space  the  same  as  other  matter.  It 
has  solidity,  length,  breadth,  and  thickness,  like  all  other  mat- 
ter. The  elementary  materials  of  His  body  are  not  susceptible 
of  occupying,  at  the  same  time,  the  same  identical  space  with 
other  matter.  The  substance  of  His  person,  like  other  matter, 
cannot  be  in  two  places  at  the  same  instant.    It  also  requires 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  93 

time  for  Him  to  transport  Himself  from  place  to  place.  It 
matters  not  how  great  the  velocity  of  His  movements,  time 
is  an  essential  ingredient  to  all  motion,  whether  rapid  or  slow. 
It  differs  from  other  matter  in  the  superiority  of  its  powers, 
being  intelligent,  all  wise,  and  possession  to  power  of  self- 
motion  to  a  far  greater  extent  than  the  coarser  materials  of 
nature.  "God  is  a  spirit."  But  that  does  not  make  Him 
an  immaterial  being — a  being  that  has  not  properties  in  com- 
mon with  matter.  The  expression  an  immaterial  being,  is  a 
contradiction  in  terms.  Immateriality  is  only  another  name 
for  nothing.  It  is  the  negative  of  all  existence.  A  spirit  is 
as  much  matter  as  oxygen  or  hydrogen.  It  has  many  proper- 
ties in  common  with  all  other  matter.  Chemists  have  dis- 
covered between  fifty  and  sixty  kinds  of  matter;  and  each 
kind  has  some  properties  in  common  with  all  other  matter, 
and  some  properties  peculiar  to  itself  which  the  others  do  not 
inherit.  Now,  no  chemist,  in  classifying  his  substances,  would 
presume  to  say — This  substance  is  material,  but  that  one  is 
immaterial,  because  it  differs  in  some  respects  from  the  first. 
He  would  call  them  all  material,  though  they  in  some  respect 
differed  widely.  So  the  substance  called  spirit  is  material, 
though  differs  in  a  remarkable  degree  from  other  substances. 
It  is  only  the  addition  of  another  element  of  a  more  powerful 
nature  than  any  yet  discovered.  He  is  not  a  being  "without 
parts,"  as  modern  idolators  teach ;  for  every  whole  is  made  up 
of  parts.  The  whole  person  of  the  Father  consists  of  innum- 
erable parts;  and  each  part  is  so  situated  as  to  bear  certain 
relations  of  distance  to  every  other  part.  There  must  also 
be,  to  a  certain  degree,  a  freedom  of  motion  among  these  parts, 
which  is  an  essential  condition  to  the  movement  of  His  limbs, 
without  which  He  could  only  move  as  a  whole. 

All  the  foregoing  statements  in  relation  to  the  person  of 
the  Father,  are  equally  applicable  to  the  person  of  the  Son. 
The  Holy  Spirit  being  one  part  of  the  Godhead,  is  also  a 
material  substance,  of  the  same  nature  and  properties  in  many 
respects  are  the  spirits  of  the  Father  and  Son.  It  exists  in 
vast  immeasurable  quantities  in  connection  with  all  material 
worlds.  This  is  called  God  in  the  scriptures,  as  well  as  the 
Father  and  Son.     God  the  Father  and  God  the  Son  cannot 


94  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

be  everywhere  present :  indeed  they  cannot  be  even  in  two 
places  at  the  same  instant ;  but  God  the  Holy  Spirit  is  omni- 
present— it  extends  through  all  space,  intermingling  with  all 
matters,  yet  no  one  atom  of  the  Holy  Spirit  can  be  in  two 
places  at  the  same  instance,  which  in  all  cases  is  an  absolute 
impossibility.     It  must  exist  in  exhaustible  quantities,  which 
is  the  only  possible  way  for  any  substance  to  be  omnipresent. 
All  the  innumerable  phenomena  of  universal  nature  or  pro- 
duced in  their  origin  by  the  actual  presence  of  this  intelligent, 
all'wise,  and  all-powerful  material  substance  called  the  Holy 
Spirit.    It  is  the  most  active  matter  in  the  universe,  producing 
all  its  operations  according  to  fixed  definite  laws  enacted  by 
itself,  in  conjunction  with  the  Father  and   Son.     What  are 
called  the  laws  of  nature  are  ngthing  more  or  less  than  the  fixed 
method  by  which  this  spiritual  matter  operates.     Each  atom 
of  this  spirit  cannot  occupy  the  same  space  at  the  same  time, 
neither  can  one  atom,  as  before  stated,  occupy  two  separate 
spaces,  at  the  same  time.     In  all  these  respects  it  does  not 
differ  in  the  least  from  all  other  matter.     Its  distinguishing 
characteristics   from   other   matter   are   its   almighty   powers 
and  infinite  wisdom,  and  many  other  glorious  attributes  which 
other  materials  do  not  possess.     If  several  of  the  atoms  of 
this  Spirit  should  unite  themselves,  together  into  the  form  of 
a  person,  then  this  person  of  the  Holy  Spirit  would  be  sub- 
ject to  the  same  necessity  as  the  two  other  persons  of  the 
Godhead,  that  is,  it  could  not  be  everywhere  present.     No 
infinite  number  of  atoms  can  be  omnipresent ;  and  infinite 
number  of  atoms  is  requisite   to  be   everywhere  in  infinite 
space.    Two  persons  receiving  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  do 
not  each  receive  at  the  same  time  the  same  identical  particles, 
though  they  each*  receive  the  same  identical  atoms  of  the  same 
substance  exactly  similar  in  kind.     It  would  be  as  impossible 
for  each  to  receive  the  same,  to  drink  the  same  identical  pint 
of  water.    It  is  these  three  all-powerful  substances  that  stand 
at  the  head  of  all  legal  government.     All  governments,  not 
established  by  these  three,  will  be  ere  long  overthrown.    They 
hold  the  supreme  authority  and  power  in  heaven,  and  in  the 
heaven  of  heavens,  and  throughout  the  wide  expanse  of  uni- 
versal nature.     All  principalities,     powers,     and     kingdoms, 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  95 

whether  in  heaven  or  on  earth,  must  yield  to  be  instructed 
and  controlled  by  the  supreme  power,  or  they  cannot  stand. 

Second.— The  character  and  requisite  qualifications  of  the 
subordinate  officers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  are  now  to  be 
considered.  As  the  persons  of  the  Father  and  Son  cannot 
be  everywhere  present,  it  is  therefore  impossible  for  them  to 
attend  in  person  to  all  the  multiplied  affairs  of  government 
among  intelligent  beings :  therefore,  God,  in  establishing  a 
government  among  such  beings  has  always  called  persons  of 
their  own  number  to  officiate  in  His  name.  The  Character  of 
these  persons,  previously  to  their  calling  and  appointment  has 
generally  been  that  of  honesty  and  sincerity;  otherwise  they 
have  not  differed  materially  from  other  men. 

The  various  officers,  called  of  God  to  administer  the 
affairs  of  His  government,  are  apostles,  prophets,  bishops, 
evangelists,  elders,  pastors,  teachers,  and  deacons.  God  has 
only  one  way  of  calling  these  different  officers,  and  that  is  by 
new  revelation.  No  person  was  ever  authorised  to  act  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  unless  called  by  hew  revelation.  Paul  says 
(Heb.  V.  4),  "No  man  taketh  this  honor  unto  himself,  but  he 
that  is  called  of  God  as  was  Aaron."  Among  the  vast  number 
of  national  governments  now  upon  the  earth,  where  is  there 
one  that  even  professes  to  be  the  kingdom  of  God,  or  that 
its  officers  were  called  of  God  as  was  Aaron?  Human  author- 
ity and  human  calling  are  the  only  powers  which  any  nation 
professes  to  have.  But  there  are  certain  petty  governments, 
called  churches,  organized  within  these  national  governments, 
which  claim  divine  authority,  and  consider  their  officers 
authorized  to  act  in  the  name  of  the  Lord.  But  the  great 
question  is,  have  any  of  them  been  called  as  Aaron  was?  By 
new  revelation  the  studies  of  his  calling  were  made  known. 
Have  any  of  the  Roman  Catholic  or  Protestant  officers  been 
called  by  new  revelation?  Has  God  said  one  word  to  any 
of  them?  Do  they  not,  with  very  few  exceptions,  declare  that 
"There  is  not  later  revelation  than  the  New  Testament?"  If 
the  revelations  contained  in  the  New  Testament  are  the  last 
ones  given,  then  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  given,  were 
the  last  ones  called  of  God.  When  new  revelations  cease  to 
be  given,  officers  cease  to  be  called  of  God.    When  the  calling 


96  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

of  officers  ceased^to  exist  the  kingdom  of  God  ceases  to  be 
perpetuated  upon  the  earth.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that 
the  church  of  God  ceased  to  exist  on  the  earth  when  new 
revelation  ceased  to  be  given.  All  the  modern  Christian 
churches,  who  deny  new  revelation,  have  no  more  authority 
to  preach,  baptize,  or  administer  any  other  ordinance  of  the 
gospel  than  the  idolatrous  Hindoos  have ;  indeed  all  their 
administrations  were  worse  than  in  vain — they  are  a  solemn 
mockery  in  the  sight  of  God.  It  is  a  grievous  sin  in  the  sight 
of  God  for  any  man  to  presume  to  baptize,  unless  God  has 
authorized  him  by  new  revelation  to  baptize  in  His  name. 
Saul,  the  King  of  Israel,  lost  his  kingdom  because  he  assumed 
the  authority  that  did  not  belong  to  him  (I.  Sam.  xiii.  8-15). 
Another  king  of  Israel  lost  his  kingdom  because  he  attempted 
to  administer  an  ordinance  without  being  called  and  author- 
ized (II.  Charon,  xxvi.  16-22).  So  all  the  baptisms  and  sacra- 
ments administered  by  modern  Christian  churches  who  have 
done  away  with  new  revelation,  are  an  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God.  All  persons  who  shall  suffer  themselves  to 
be  baptized,  or  partake  of  these  ordinances  through  the  ad- 
ministration of  these  illegal  unauthorized  persons,  after  having 
been  duly  warned  of  the  evil  thereof,  will  bring  themselves 
under  great  condemnation  before  God,  and  unless  they  repent 
of  that  sin  they  can  in  nowise  be  saved.  The  twelve  apostles 
were  called  by  new  revelation,  but  that  did  not  authorize  Paul, 
Barnabas,  Timothy,  or  any  other  person.  Each  one  had  to 
receive  a  separate  call  by  new  revelation  for  himself.  No 
one  could  lawfully  act  under  a  commission  given  to  some  other 
person.  All  the  commissions  recorded  in  the  New  Testament 
were  given  to  individuals  then  living,  and  not  to  any  indi- 
viduals who  should  live  in  some  future  age.  If  any  persons 
would  have  authority,  let  them  obtain  a  new  commission  for 
God,  as  His  servants  always  did  in  ancient  times,  and  if  they 
officiate  without  such  new  commission,  then  know  assuredly 
that  they  are  impostors. 

The  subordinate  officers  in  the  kingdom  of  God  must  not 
only  be  called  of  God,  but  qualified  to  act  in  their  respective 
offices.  The  first  qualification  absolutely  necessary  for  every 
officer  in  the  kingdom  is,  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     This 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  97 

is  the  most  important  qualification  of  all  others.  No  man, 
without  this  qualification,  can  attain  to  an  office  in  the  king- 
dom of  God ;  it  matters  not  how  great  his  other  attainments 
are;  though  he  has  studied  the  scriptures  from  a  child,  and 
committed  them  all  to  memory — though  he  has  carefully 
learned  the  original  languages  in  which  they  were  written — 
though  he  has  made  himself  master  of  all  sciences — grasped 
with  a  comprehensive  mind  all  the  arguments  set  forth  in 
theological  works,  but  none  of  these  attainments  will  qualify 
him  for  even  the  least  office  in  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
unlearned  youth,  who  had  not  the  knowledge  of  the  English 
alphabet,  if  he  were  called  of  God,  and  qualified  by  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  would  have  more  power  and  authority, 
and  could  do  more  towards  saving  men  than  all  the  theologians 
and  doctors  of  divinity  that  the  world  affords,  unless  they 
also  were  called  of  God  and  endowed  with  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  No  other  qualification  whatsoever  can  be  substituted 
in  the  stead  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Hoi/  Spirit  is  the  great 
distinguishing  characteristic  between  the  officers  of  the  king- 
dom of  God  and  impostors.  Every  officer  sent  of  God  has  a 
qualification  that  no  impostor  ever  had  or  ever  can  have. 

The  first  officers  placed  in  the  kingdom  of  God  are 
apostles.  Let  us  inquire  how  in  ancient  times  this  office  was 
conferred  on  man.  Jesus  said  His  ancient  apostles  (John  xv. 
16),  ''Yet  have  not  chosen  Me,  but  I  have  chosen  you  and 
ordained  you,  that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit."  Paul 
informs  us  (Heb.  iii.)  that  Jesus  Himself  was  an  apostle. 
Holding  the  office  Himself,  He  had  the  most  perfect  right  to 
confer  the  same  calling  upon  others ;  hence  He  first  chose 
them,  and  then  ordained  them ;  after  this  He  sent  them  forth 
to  preach  (Matthew  x.),  "and  commanded  them,  saying,  go 
not  into  the  way  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the 
Samaritans,  enter  ye  not :  but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel.  And  as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand.  Heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers, 
raise  the  dead,  cast  out  devils :  freely  ye  have  received,  freely 
give." 

Although  these  apostles  were  chosen,  ordained  and  sent 
forth  on  a  particular  mission  to  the  cities  of  Israel,  with  power 


98  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

to  work  mighty  miracles,  yet  there  was  an  essential  qualifica- 
tion which  they  had  not  yet  received.  They  had  received 
power  sufficient  to  qualify  them  to  preach  that  the  kingdom 
of  heaven  was  at  hand.  But  they  had  not  yet  received  power 
■sufficient  to  fully  organize  and  build  that  kingdom  on  the 
earth.  They  lacked  one  very  important  qualification,  without 
which  they  would  never  establish  the  kingdom  which  they  had 
already  predicted  ''was  at  hand."  What  was  this  further 
qualification  which  these  apostles  had  not  yet  received?  It 
was  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  the  other  comforter  which 
Jesus  promised  them.  It  is  very  remarkable  that  these 
apostles  should  have  such  great  power,  and  yet  not  have  the 
Holy  Ghost.  But  hear  what  the  scripture  saieth  (John  vii. 
37,  38,  39),  "In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto 
Me  and  drink.  He  that  believeth  in  Me,  as  the  scripture  hath 
said,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  waters.  (But 
this  spake  He  of  fhe  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  in  Him 
should  receive :  for  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given ;  because 
of  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified.)"  Mark  the  expression,  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given.  This  agrees  with  another 
saying  of  Jesus  to  His  apostles  (John  xvi.  7),  "Nevertheless, 
I  tell  you  the  truth;  it  is  expedient  for  you  that  I  go  away 
for  if  I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ; 
"but  if  I  depart  I  will  send  Him  unto  you." 

Jesus  calls  this  Comforter  the  Holy  Ghost  (John  xiv.  26). 
After  the  resurrection  of  Jesus,  and  as  He  was  about  to  be 
taken  up  into  heaven.  He  said  to  His  apostles  (Luke  xxiv.  49), 
"Behold,  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father  upon  you"  (alluding 
to  the  Comforter  or  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  He  promised 
several  days  before  should  be  sent  unto  them  from  the  Father 
after  His  glorification)  ;  "but,"  said  He,  "tarry  ye  in  the  city 
of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high." 
Thus  you  see,  dear  reader,  that  these  apostles  had  power  to 
"heal  the  sick,  cleanse  the  lepers,  raise  the  dead,  and  cast  out 
devils,"  although  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given  to  them. 
A. certain  power  was  let  lacking.  Jesus  had  commanded  them, 
saying,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to 
€very  creature."    But  He  would  not  suffer  them  to  commence 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  99 

this  mission  until  the  promise  of  the  Father — the  Holy  Ghost — 
was  given  to  them.  They  already  had  power  to  work  mighty 
miracles,  but  had  not  the  power  to  build  up  the  kingdom  of 
God.  This  power  they  were  to  tarry  for  in  Jerusalem,  and 
when  they  should  receive  it,  they  were  then  to  commence 
the  duties  of  their  mission,  first,  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  and 
afterwards  extend  their  labors  to  all  nations.  The  power  to 
work  miracles  is  entirely  a  different  thing  from  the  power  to 
build  up  the  kingdom  of  God:  the  latter  power,  however, 
always  includes  the  former,  but  the  former  power  does  not 
always  include  the  latter. 

We  now  ask,  where  is  there  a  man  among  all  the  churches 
of  modern  times,  who  had  been  called  to  the  office  of  an  apos- 
tle by  new  revelation?  Where  is  there  a  man  among  all  the 
millions  of  modern  Christians  who  has  been  endowed  to  the 
office  of  an  apostle  under  the  hands  of  an  apostle,  as  the  twelve 
were  anciently?  Where  is  there  a  man  to  be  found  among  all 
the  Catholics  or  Protestants,  who  has  been  endowed  with  even 
the  power  of  working  miracles,  to  say  nothing  of  the  still 
greater  power  communicated  in  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Ghost? 
If  the  apostles  in  ancient  day  could  not  build  up  the  kingdom 
of  God,  without  being  endowed  with  these  two  degrees  or 
power,  surely  no  one  since  their  day  could  be  authorized  to 
build  the  church  of  God  with  any  less  qualification. 

One  of  the  important  duties  required  of  an  apostle  is  to 
administer  the  Spirit.  Inn  II  Cor.  3  :6,  we  read  that  both  Paul 
and  Timothy  were  made  able  ministers  of  the  Spirit.  The  or- 
dinance through  which  the  Spirit  is  ministered  is  THE  LAY- 
ING ON  OF  HANDS?  (Acts  8  and  XIX :  Heb.  6).  To  the 
apostles  were  entrusted  three  very  important  ministrations  for 
the  salvation  of  man  : 

First. — The  ministration  of  the  word. 

Second. — The  ministration  of  the  baptism  of  water. 

And  Third. — The  ministration  of  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit. 

While  Jesus  was  with  His  apostles  in  person,  they  had 
power  to  minister  the  word  and  water,  but  not  the  Spirit,  for 
they  themselves  had  not  been  baptized  with  the  Spirit;  and 
they  could  not  administer  that  which  they  were  not  in  posses- 
sion of.     It  was  necessary  that  they  should  first  receive  the 


100  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

gift  themselves,  before  they  could  confer  it  upon  others. 
Hence  we  can  prescribe  the  propriety  of  Jesus  commanding 
them  to  wait  at  Jerusalem  until  they  should  be  "endued  with 
power  from  on  high;"  for  without  this  additional  power  they 
could  neither  cure  themselves  nor  others.  Many  persons  have 
flattered,  themselves  that  they  can  be  saved  without  the  assis- 
tance of  a  minister  sent  of  God.  But  this  is  a  vain,  delusible 
hope ;  for  Jesus  hath  expressly  said,  "except  a  man  be  born  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit  he  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  God." 
Now  as  no  man  can  be  saved  out  of  the  Kingdom  and  this  would 
be' impossible  without  an  administrator  sent  of  God;  for  the 
birth  or  baptism  of  water,  and  the  birth  or  baptism  of  the 
Spirit,  requires  some  one  legally  authorized  to  officiate  in  be- 
half of  the  candidate. 

Reader,  have  you  ever  received  the  Holy  Ghost  through 
the  laying  on  of  hands  of  one  sent  of  God?  If  not,  you  are 
not  yet  bom  of  the  Spirit.  You  are  not  yet  a  child  of  the 
Kingdom.  Know  assuredly,  that  unless  you  find  some  man 
who  has  been  sent  by  the  command  of  God  as  was  Aaron,  and 
get  him  to  remit  your  sins  through  your  faith,  repentance  and 
baptism,  and  have  him  to  minister  to  you  the  Holy  Ghost  as 
did  the  ancient  apostles — you  need  not  flatter  yourself  that 
you  can  be  saved.  Do  not  deceive  yourself  upon  this  all-im- 
portant subject.  Do  not  suffer  any  man  to  baptize  or  minister 
unto  you,  unless  God  has  spoken  unto  him  by  the  voice  of  His 
servants,  and  authorized  him  to  minister  in  His  name.  Do 
you  inquire  how  you  are  to  know  an  authorized  man  of  God 
from  one  who  has  no  authority?  I  will  tell  you  how  to  discern 
the  difference.  A  true  servant  of  God  will  never  teach  a  false 
doctrine.  He  will  never  deny  new  revelation.  He  never  will 
tell  you  that  the  canon  of  scripture  is  full,  or  that  the  New 
Testament  is  the  last  revelation  ever  intended  to  be  to  man. 
He  never  will  deny  new  revelation.  He  never  will  tell  you 
that  the  canon  of  scripture  is  full,  or  that  the  New  Testament 
is  the  last  revelation  ever  intended  to  be  given  to  man.  He 
never  will  tell  you  that  miraculous  gifts  are  no  longer  neces- 
sary in  the  Church  of  God.  He  never  will  tell  you  that  in- 
spired apostles,  prophets   and  other  officers   are  not  minis- 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  101 

tration  of  the  spirit,  by  "the  laying  on  of  hands"  is  done  away 
by  God's  appointment.  But  he  will  tell  you  that  if  you  will 
receive  his  message,  and  be  baptized  by  one  having  authority, 
that  your  sins  shall  be  remitted,  and  that  you  shall  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands ;  and  that  you 
shall  know,  by  the  teachings  thereof,  that  his  doctrine  is  true 
and  of  God.  In  this  respect  he  will  differ  from  all  impostors; 
for  an  impostor  dare  not  promise  you  that  you  shall  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  his  hands,  for  he 
knows  that  such  a  promise  would  not  be  fulfilled — he  knows 
that  you  detect  him  to  be  a  false  teacher  by  complying  with  his 
condition,  and  failing  to  receive  his  promise.  An  impostor, 
knowing  that  he  had  not  power  to  give  the  Holy  Ghost  as  the 
ancient  apostles  had,  will  endeavor  to  persuade  you  that  such 
power  is  not  necessary  now.  He  knows  very  well,  that  if  he 
cannot  get  the  people  to  believe  that  such  power  is  not  neces- 
sary in  those  days  that  his  own  authorized  pretensions  will  be 
at  once  detected. 

An  impostor,  like  Simon  Magus,  may  deceive  ignorant 
people  by  witchcraft  and  sorcery,  but  he  can  never  deceive 
them  by  pretending  to  give  to  the  Holy  Ghost  through  prayer 
and  laying  on  of  hands.  This  is  a  power  that  none  but  a  true 
minister  of  God  possesses ;  it  cannot  be  counterfeited  by  the 
devil.  The  devil  can  counterfeit  the  miracles  of  Christ,  but 
he  cannot  counterfeit  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  None  but  the 
lawful  ministers  of  Christ  can  minister  the  Spirit.  This,  then, 
is  an  infallible  sign  by  which  to  distinguish  true  apostles  from 
false  ones.  But  does  this  infallible  sign  exist  either  among 
the  Papists  or  Protestants?  Can  any  of  their  ministers  give 
the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying  on  of  hands?  If  not,  they  are 
not  the  Church  of  God,  and  their  ministers  are  unauthorized — 
all  their  ministrations  are  illegal  and  an  abomination  in  the 
sight  of  God — salvation  is  not  among  them.  Not  one  person 
among  all  these  societies  has  been  legally  baptized.  Reader, 
are  you  a  member  of  any  of  these  societies?  If  so,  haste  to 
withdraw  yourself  from  them,  that  you  partake  not  of  their 
plagues,  for  the  hour  of  their  judgment  is  come.  If  you  would 
be  saved,  seek  after  the  apostles  and  prophets  of  the  Kingdom 


BANCRO' 


102  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

of  God,  and  receive  their  ministrations,  and  you  shall  be  filled 
with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  obtain  eternal  life. 


PROPHECIES  FULFILLED. 

Many  gifts  and  blessings  have  been  promised  to  those 
wfho  become  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ.  Through  the 
Holy  Priesthood  men  are  given  power  to  officiate  in  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Gospel,  to  heal  the  sick,  to  bless  those  in  need  of 
comfort,  and  to  prophecy  of  things  to  come.  This  gift  of 
prophecy  is  a  very  wonderful  one  and  is  always  found  in  the 
true  Church.  The  Bible  is  full  of  predictions  uttered  by  the 
prophets  of  old;  Jesus  Himself  was  a  mighty  prophet;  His 
Apostles  foretold  many  things  that  should  happen  in  the  future. 

When  the  Gospel  was  restored  to  Joseph  Smith,  this 
power  was  also  given  to  him  and  to  those  who  followed  him. 
No  greater  prophet  has  ever  lived  than  Joseph  Smith,  except 
Jesus  Christ. 

PROPHECIES  OF  JOSEPH  SMITH,  THE  PROPHET. 

On  War.     (Given  December  25th,  1832) ; 

"Verily,  thus  saith  the  Lord,  concerning  the  wars  that 
will  shortly  come  to  pass,  beginning  at  the  rebellion  of  South 
Carolina,  which  will  eventually  terminate  in  the  death  and 
misery  of  many  souls.  ***** 

"For  behold,  the  Southern  States  shall  be  divided  against 
the  Northern  States,  and  the  Southern  States  will  call  on  other 
nations,  even  the  nation  of  Great  Britain,  as  it  is  called,  and 
they  shall  also  call  upon  other  nations,  in  order  to  defend  them- 
selves against  other  nations ;  and  thus  war  shall  be  poured  out 
upon  all  nations." 

Concerning  the  Saints  and  the  Rocky  Mountains.  On  the 
14th  day  of  July,  1943,  the  Prophet  Joseph  and  a  number  ot 
his  brethren  crossed  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  town  of 
Montrose  to  attend  some  public  exercises.  "A  block  school 
house  had  been  prepared  with  shade  in  front,  under  which 
was  a  barrel  of  ice  water."  The  prophet  took  a  drink  of  the 
water  and,  "with  the  tumbler  still  in  his  hand  he  prophesied 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  103 

that  the  Saints  would  yet  go  to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  'And', 
said  he,  'this  water  tastes  much  like  that  of  the  crystal  streams 
that  are  running  from  the  snow-capped  mountains'."  Anson 
Call,  an  early  settler  of  Utah,  described  the  scene  thus :  "I 
had  before  seen  him  in  a  vision,  and  now  saw  while  he  was 
talking,  his  countenance  change  to  white;  not  the  deadly  asn 
white  of  a  bloodless  face,  but  the  living  brilliant  white.  He 
seemed  absorbed  in  gazing  at  something  at  a  great  distance, 
and  said :  *I  am  gazing  upon  the  valleys  of  those  mountains,' 
This  was  followed  by  a  vivid  description  of  the  scenery  of 
those  mountains,  as  I  have  since  become  acquainted  with  it. 
Pointing  to  Shadrach  Roundy  and  others  he  said :  'There  are 
some  men  here  who  shall  do  a  great  work  in  that  land.'  Point- 
ing to  me  he  said :  'There  is  Anson,  he  shall  go  and  shall  assist 
in  building  up  cities  from  one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other, 
and  you',  rather  extending  the  idea  to  all  those  he  had  spoken 
of,  'Shall  perform  as  great  a  work  as  has  been  done  by  man, 
so  that  the  nations  of  the  earth  shall  be  astonished,  and  many 
of  them  will  be  gathered  in  that  land  and  assist  in  building 
cities  and  temples,  and  Israel  shall  be  made  to  rejoice.' 

"It  is  impossible  to  represent  in  words  this  scene  which  is 
still  vivid  in  my  mind,  of  the  grandeur  of  Joseph's  appearance, 
his  beautiful  descriptions  of  this  land,  and  his  wonderful  pro- 
phetic utterance  as  they  eminated  from  the  glorious  inspira- 
tions that  overshadowed  him." 

Doc.  and  Cov.,  87  :1,  3. 
Concerning  Stephen  A.  Douglas.  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  a 
prominent  statesman  of  Illinois  and  one  time  seemed  very  fav- 
orable to  the  Latter-day  Saints.  During  a  conversation  at  din- 
ner one  day  between  him  and  the  Prophet,  Joseph  uttered  this 
prediction : 

"Judge,  vou  will  aspire  to  the  presidency  of  the  United 
States,  and  if  you  ever  turn  your  hand  against  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  you  will  feel  the  weight  of  the  hand  of  the  Almighty 
upon  you ;  and  you  will  live  to  see  and  know  that  I  have  testi- 
fied the  truth  to  you,  for  the  conversation  of  this  day  will  be 
with  you  through  life." 

"These  words  of  the  Prophet  to  Judge  Douglas  have  been 
fulfilled  to  the  very  letter.     Douglas  did  aspire  to  the  presi- 


104  BIOGRAPHY  OP 

dency  of  the  United  States ;  he  did  use  his  influence  against  the 
Latter-day  Saints,  thinking  he  could  gain  popularity  by  so 
doing:  and  he  miserably  failed.  He  was  deserted  by  his 
friends,  and  died  a  disappointed  man." 

PROPHECY  OF  PRESIDENT  BRIGHAM  YOUNG. 

The  following  incident  is  related  by  Elder  Riley  Davis,  of 
Clifton,  Idaho:  "In  the  year  1867,  in  connection  with  twenty- 
three  other  young  men,  I  was  called  to  meet  President  Brig- 
ham  Young  and  company  on  their  way  from  Bear  Lake  to 
Franklin.  We  met  him  on  the  summit  of  the  Bear  Lake  moun- 
tain and  escorted  him  to  Franklin,  twelve  horsemen  riding 
on  either  side  of  his  carriage.  Franklin  at  that  time  was  the 
extreme  northern  boundary  of  civilization.  Wild  animals  and 
Indians  roamed  over  the  country.  Cache  Valley  contained  a 
few  hundred  people  and  a  few  small  forts  or  camps.  The  peo- 
ple of  Franklin  had  erected  a  bowery  that  their  beloved  presi- 
dent might  speak  to  them ;  they  had  covered  it  with  green  wil- 
lows and  sealed  it  with  house  logs. 

"I  was  but  fifteen  years  old  at  this  time.  I  well  remem- 
ber how  noble  he  looked  that  day  as  he  arose  on  the  rude  stand, 
how  full  of  inspiration  and  encouragement  were  his  words,  and 
how  majestic  the  picture  as  he  stretched  forth  his  arm,  and 
waived  it  from  south  to  north,  and  said,  'This  valley  will  soon 
all  be  under  cultivation,  it  will  be  filled  with  inhabitants  and 
will  be  almost  as  one  great  city ;  and  instead  of  you  people  be- 
ing on  the  extreme  boundry  of  the  stakes  of  Zion,  you  will  be 
one  of  the  central  stakes.' 

"To  mie  it  seemed  almost  impossible,  at  least  for  a  long 
time,  but  I  have  lived  to  see  it  literally  fulfilled.  Cache  Valley 
is  today  as  a  fruitful  garden,  filled  with  beautiful  cities  and 
villages,  and  containing  splendid  homes,  churches,  and  schools 
and  is  one  of  the  very  center  stakes  of  Zion." 

History  of  the  Church,  Vol.  V,  p.  86. 

"Life  of  Joseph  Smith,"  (Cannon),  p.  433. 

PROPHECIES  OF  HEBER  C.  KIMBALL. 

(1).  "It  was  during  the  time  of  famine  (in  Utah),  when 
the  half-starved,  half-clad  settlers  scarcely  knew  where  to  look 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  105 

for  the  next  crust  of  bread  or  for  rags  to  hide  their  naked- 
ness— for  clothing  had  become  almost  as  scarce  with  them  as 
bread-stuffs — that  Heber  C.  Kimball,  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
prophecy,  in  a  public  meeting  declared  to  the  astonished  con- 
gregation that,  within  a  short  time,  'States  goods'  would  be 
sold  in  the  streets  of  Great  Salt  Lake  City  cheaper  than  in 
New  York  and  that  the  people  should  be  abundantly  supplied 
with  food  and  clothing. 

"  *I  don't  believe  a  word  of  it,'  said  Charles  C.  Rich,  and 
he  but  voiced  the  sentiments  of  nine-tenths  of  those  who  had 
heard  the  astounding  declaration.  Heber,  himself,  was  startled 
at  his  own  words.  *  *  *  Qn  resuming  his  seat  he  remarked 
to  the  brethren  that  he  was  'afraid  he  had  missed  it  this  time.' 
But  they  were  not  his  own  words,  and  He  who  had  inspired 
them  knew  how  to  fulfill. 

"The  occasion  for  the  fulfillment  of  this  remarkable  pre- 
diction was  the  unexpected  advent  of  the  gold-hunters,  on 
their  way  to  California  *  *  *  Salt  Lake  valley  became  the 
resting  place,  or  half-way  house  of  the  nation,  and  before  the 
Saints  had  had  time  to  recover  from  their  surprise  at  Heber's 
temerity  in  making  such  a  prophecy  the  still  more  wonderful 
fulfillment  was  brought  to  their  very  doors.  The  gold-hunters 
were  actuated  by  but  one  desire  to  reach  the  Pacific  Coast. 
*  *  *  Impatient  at  their  slow  progress,  in  order  to  lighten 
their  loads,  they  threw  away  or  sold  for  a  song  'the  valuable 
merchandise  with  which  they  had  stored  their  wagons  to 
cross  the  plains.  Their  choice  blooded,  though  now  jaded 
stock,  they  eagerly  exchanged  for  the  fresh  mules  and  horses  to 
the  pioneers,  and  bartered  off,  at  almost  any  sacrifice,  dry 
goods,  groceries,  provisions,  tools,  clothing,  etc.,  for  the  most 
primitive  outfits,  with  barely  enough  provisions  to  enable 
them  to  reach  their  journey.  Thus,  as  the  Prophet  Heber  C. 
Kimball  had  predicted,  'States  goods'  were  actually  sold  in  the 
streets  of  Salt  Lake  City  cheaper  than  they  could  have  been 
purchased  in  the  City  of  New  York." 

(2).  In  May,  1864,  Prest.  Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kim- 
ball, and  some  others  of  the  leading  brethren  took  a  trip 
through  the  Southern  part  of  Utah  to  investigate  conditions 


106  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

connected  with  the  missionary  work  among  the  Indians.  They 
met  with  the  missionaries  at  Harmony,  twenty  miles  south  of 
Cedar  City,  and  gave  them  much  valuable  instruction  concern- 
ing their  labors.  ''Previous  to  this  meeting,  President  Young 
asked  some  brethren  who  had  been  into  the  country  south  of 
Harmiony,  if  they  thought  a  wagon  road  could  be  made  down 
to  the  Rio  Virgin.  Their  reply  was  very  discouraging,  but,  in 
the'  face  of  this  report,  Brother  Kimball  prophesied  in  this 
meeting  that  a  road  would  be  made  from  Harmony  over  the 
Black  Ridge;  and  a  temple  would  be  built  on  the  Rio  Virgin 
and  the  Lamanites  would  come  from  the  east  side  of  the  Colo- 
rado River  and  get  their  endowments  in  it.  All  these  prophe- 
cies have  since  been  fulfilled."  The  St.  George  Temple  is  built 
on  the  Rio  Virgin  and  the  Indians  have  come  to  it  to  receive 
their  endowments. 

PROPHECY  OF  PRESIDENT  JOHN  TAYLOR. 

(A  sermon  delivered  in  Logan  August  4,  1878). 

After  speaking  of  work  expected  of  missionaries,  he  said, 
*T  tell  you,  my  brethren,  in  the  name  of  God,  that  right  among 
the  nations  of  Europe  where  many  of  you  have  come  from 
there  will  be  some  of  the  most  bloody  scenes  that  you  have 
ever  reaa  of.  And  God  expects  you  to  assist  in  warning  the 
nations  and  in  getting  out  the  honest  of  heart.  Then  when  you 
come  back,  having  accomplished  a  good  mission  you  can  say, 
'My  garments  are  clean  of  the  blood  of  this  generation'." 

Jacob  Hamblin,  p.  31,  32. 

Life  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,  pp.  401,  402. 

HUGE  SUMS  SPENT  BY  CHURCH. 

At  the  opening  session  of  the  General  Conference  in  Salt 
Lake  on  Thursday  last,  April  6th,  1916,  President  Joseph  F. 
Smith  presented  a  financial  statement  of  the  funds  expended 
by  him  as  Trustee-in-Trust  for  the  Church  during  his  presi- 
dency which  began  in  1901.  The  report  covers  the  period  be- 
tween that  time  and  the  close  of  1915,  and  as  a  prelude  to  pre- 
senting the  document,  the  venerable  president  declared  in  all 
soberness  that  none  of  the  funds  of  the  Church  have  stuck  to 


ANN  HOWELL  BURT  107 

his  fingers,  nor  to  the  fingers  of  his  brethren  who  have  had 
supervision  over  their  distribution,  but  every  cent  has  been 
accounted  for  and  distributed  as  wisely  as  the  judgment  of  the 
leaders  could  suggest. 

By  a  careful  perusal  of  the  financial  statement  it  will  be 
seen  that  the  church  has  spent  nearly  $4,000,000  during  the 
past  fourteen  years  for  education  and  over  $3,000,000  has  been 
distributed  to  the  poor  and  needy.  Accompanying  the  finan- 
cial statement  is  an  interesting  statistical  report  of  the  church. 
Following  are  the  figures  given  out  by  President  Smith : 

"The  report  which  follows  will  inform  you  concerning 
some  of  the  church  expenditures  and  activities  from  the  year 
1901  to  December  31,  1915: 

"At  the  close  of  the  year  1906  the  $1,000,000  bonded  in- 
debtedness and  interest  had  been  paid,  making  a  total  of 
$1,200,000. 

"There  has  been  paid  on  account  of  church  schools 
$3,714,455. 

"For  repairs,  improvements,  operation,  maintenance,  and 
building  of  temples  $1,169,499. 

"For  building  stake  and  ward  meeting  houses  and  amuse- 
ments halls  $2,625,328. 

"For  real  estate  and  buildings'  for  mission  house  and  meet- 
ing house  purposes  in  Europe,  $266,795. 

"For  maintenance  of  foreign  missions,  $2,625,328. 

"For  real  estate  and  buildings  for  mission  house  and  meet- 
ing house  purposes  in  the  United  States,  $292,795. 

"For  agricultural  colleges  and  for  meeting  houses  in  New 
Zealand  and  Samoa,  $78,000. 

"For  the  Joseph  Smith  memorial  farm  and  monument,  and 
for  the  Joseph  Smith  farm  at  Palmyra ;  for  real  estate  covering 
Adam-Ondi-Ahman ;  for  Carthage  jail  and  for  real  estate  at 
Independence,  Jackson  County,  Mo.,  $161,000. 

"For  real  estate  and  buildings  surrounding  the  Temple 
block  at  Salt  Lake  and  for  new  buildings  that  have  been  erected 
thereon,  $1,555,000. 

.   "For  buildings  and  equipment  for  the  Dr.  W.  H.  Groves' 
Latter-day  Saints  hospital,  $600,000. 


108  BIOGRAPHY  OF 

"There  have  been  paid  to  the  poor  through  all  church 
channels,  $3,279,000. 

''There  has  been  a  net  increase  in  the  church  membership 
of  187,733  souls;  and  there  has  been  organized  twenty-two 
stakes  of  Zion,  202  wards  and  six  missions.  There  are  now 
72  stakes  of  Zion,  797  wards  and  22  missions. 

"There  have  been  erected  and  remodeled  465  meeting 
houses  in  the  Stakes  of  Zion,  besides  branch  and  mission 
meeting  houses  in  the  various  missions  of  the  church. 

"There  have  been  1,468,437  baptisms  performed  for  the 
dead  in  the  temples. 

"The  Relief  Society  membership  has  increased  34  per  cent ; 
the  Sunday  School  40  per  cent,  the  Young  Men's  Mutual  Im- 
provement association,  23  per  cent,  the  Young  Ladies'  Mutual 
Improvement  association  27  per  cent,  the  Primary  association 
39  per  cent,  and  the  religion  class  85  per  cent." 

There  are  a  good  many  people  who  are  always  finding 
fault  in  the  Church,  not  willing  to  pay  their  tithing  because 
they  want  to  know  where  it  goes  to.  I've  put  this  in  my  book 
to  enlighten  their  mind  in  the  matter. 

ANN  H.  BURT. 


